Prince or Zero?
by LunaticChaos
Summary: An alternate universe fic if you couldn't tell, I decided to do a retelling of the story with the idea "How would the story change if Lelouch remained a Prince?"
1. Birth of Mordred

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or any of it's characters, if I did, the cliffhanger for episode 25 would have been much more evil.

Author's Note: I made some minor changes in the first part of this chapter, mostly to improve the flow a bit. The same will be done with a few of the other first chapters

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"I present Lelouch Vi Britannia, seventeenth heir to the Britannian throne," a voice boomed in the giant throne room of the Emperor of Britannia as a young boy with royal purple eyes slowly marched down the red carpet.

The nobles and royalty gathered in the hall were whispering amongst themselves about the recent assassination of they boy's mother, how it could be nothing but a scheme by someone amongst them or the royal family. How he had lost his chance at the throne, how his mother's family was ruined, and his younger sister's condition. The boy ignored it all and stood before his father and announced, "My Emperor. My Mother is dead."

With a bored expression as he looked down at Lelouch, the emperor merely asked, "What of it?"

"What of it?" Lelouch asked like it should be obvious.

"You sought an audience with me, the Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, simply to tell me that? Bring in the next supplicant. I have no time to listen to the whims and fancies of children." Lelouch merely stood there, clenching his fist and gritting his teeth, "Was there something else? the emperor asked, still looking down at Lelouch.

Lelouch clenched his fists, the idea that his father could care less about what had happened to him sinking in now, gritting his teeth he then declared, "I request the chance to take revenge, to find out who."

"You, nothing more than a mere child, think you are worthy let alone capable of avenging the death of one of my wives? Foolish, childish," the emperor said coldly, his eyes glaring down at Lelouch..

Lelouch almost took a step back, and then steeled himself, stopped himself from shaking, to continue his request, "Then I'll prove myself, name it, what do I have to do? What will it take?" Lelouch asked, his knuckles going white from him holding his fists as tightly as he was.

The emperor raised an eyebrow as he looked at Lelouch, as if he was trying to determine if Lelouch's fists were a sign of defiance, or a sign of fear, of him trying to hold himself together. "I have no need for the weak, what makes you think I have any faith that you could accomplish a task I set before you? You with the weak blood of your mother," the emperor asked.

It was slight, but it was there, the Emperor was testing Lelouch. "Would it hurt you if I tried?" Lelouch asked, "Would it hurt Britannia if I failed in whatever task you could think up? I can at least try." The emperor's mouth, drew up ever so slightly as he watched his son, "I will succeed in whatever you set before me!" Lelouch declared loudly, so much so that it echoed throughout the hall.

"Very well, Lelouch, I will set before you one task and one task alone. You will be required to follow through with this task even after completing it, but should you complete it I will allow you to investigate that matter," the emperor said, a smirk on his lips as he looked down at Lelouch, "Do you accept?"

"Yes, what task must I accomplish?" Lelouch answered without hesitation.

"Conquer Japan,"

"Yes, your majesty," Lelouch said, the nobles throughout the hall stunned at this, that a mere child was being given such a task, "Will I be given troops or must I raise them myself?"

The Emperor smirked, his expression changing from one of annoyance to amusement, "You will be given command of one theater of the Empire, two hundred thousand solders. Choose one of your siblings as your second in command, I don't care who. However I wish to see the effectiveness of the Knightmare Frames, use them however you wish but I want them tested in actual combat. You have six months to plan the attack," the emperor said, "Show me that my blood is stronger in you than your weak mother's."

Lelouch gritted his teeth and answered, "Yes, your Majesty."

The emperor turned to look at a rather rotund man in a military uniform, who had a receding hairline of brown hair, "Bartley Asprius, you will command one of the armies in this theater, take Lelouch and pick out the other three armies and generals."

The man snapped his feet together and saluted the emperor, "Yes, your majesty," then he turned enough to look at Lelouch, "You highness, please follow me."

Lelouch sighed, his entire body language telling all he was greatly relieved that things had gone so well as he walked towards Bartley, who then led him from the room, "Thank god," Lelouch sighed out in relief the moment they were a decent ways away from the throne room.

"You did very well Prince Lelouch," Bartley congratulated the young prince, "Not many people could stand before his majesty like you did. You certainly made yourself look good to the nobility in that room."

"That doesn't really matter, I don't care what those nobles think of me. What matters is why Japan."

"Sakuradite, it's an important material to build superconductors, meaning it's an important in the construction of electronic devices, especially military equipment," Bartley explained.

"Don't we have our own supplies?" Lelouch asked, thinking this sounded rather suspect.

"Yes, but nowhere near as high as Japan possesses, it produces around seventy percent of the world's supply. Although there are alternative material, Sakuradite is a liquid superconductor, making it rather unique,"

"I see, then we have to secure the sources of Sakuradite first while taking out military opposition," Lelouch said as they left the main palace, "Sakuradite is the King, the leader of Japan is the Queen, and the army are its rooks, bishops, and knights. The pawns are the civilians," Lelouch continued on, more to himself now, "The best way to take this problem out is to strike at the queen while aiming at the other important pieces. Once those are removed the King is helpless. Now then, I need to choose who'll play my second."

"It shouldn't be too hard, you'll start getting offers by the end of the day your highness. This news will travel fast…"

"Yes it does, congratulations Lelouch," a calm and collected male voice said as a blonde man in imperial clothes walked out from around a corner.

"Schneizel, you've all ready heard?" Lelouch asked, a small smirk on his face.

"Yes I have, I must say I'm surprised you convinced father to give you this chance. I came to wish you luck, and to suggest you take on Cornelia as your second. She may not be as experienced as myself or Odysseus, but she is very promising," Schneizel suggested, his ever calm and small smile spread on his lips.

"Thank you, I'll take that into consideration," Lelouch said with a bow of his head, Schneizel ruffling his hair and then walked away.

"Good luck Lelouch, the Japanese can be a shrewd people," Schneizel commented as he turned around a corner.

"Shall I contact Princess Cornelia?" Bartley asked Lelouch when they continued to walk down the hall.

"No, Cornelia is tested and her ability is well known. If I choose her this won't be my accomplishment. Although it is not tactically sound I need to pick someone they know I'm a better tactician than," Lelouch answered quickly.

"Then allow me to help you out Lelouch," a blonde haired man in an outfit similar to Schneizel's suggested as he walked up, though he looked younger than Schneizel.

"Clovis?" Lelouch seemed to ask, "I see, I have beaten you far more often in chess and in strategy games in general. But why are you offering?"

"It's simple, even though it'll be well known that it's your work, I'll look good by being involved in such an important effort," Clovis explained, "I probably couldn't do this invasion on my own, but between the two of us we can succeed and earn position."

"I see, well you are certainly good enough to not be a burden, in fact a boon, and you are old enough that the solders will take you seriously," Lelouch said, sighing he added, "Definitely something I need considering my age." Lelouch smirked and said, "I've got a plan, it'll put the Japanese off guard and it'll raise you up further than if we did this any other way Clovis. But you will have to follow my battle plans exactly. Otherwise it'll make you look worse than any other way."

"A risky plan, but one with great benefits?" Clovis asked, "Well, if it's you, I'll believe it'll work. What's the plan?"

"Not here, we'll speak in private," Lelouch said as he led his elder brother Clovis and the far older Bartley along, "Alongside the other generals we choose."

"About what?" Bartley asked.

"My plan to lower Japan's defenses. We'll attack the northern part of it with our main forces, and attack the capitol with the Knightmares, have them sweep in quickly to put down the various military facilities there. The element of surprise will be our strength, they won't expect a small force of Knightmares as the main force of the attack when we'll prepare to assault in much greater numbers with more conventional weapons elsewhere," Lelouch explained, "We'll tear though far faster than we could do so otherwise, minimize the casualties on both sides."

Six months later…

"Suzaku, I'm sorry, but this was the only way," Lelouch said to a brown haired Japanese boy who was looking at Lelouch almost dumbly, standing with his older brother Clovis as the Britannian army escorted the now conquered Japanese people to shelters, Lelouch looking fairly guilty, "This way was the only way I could guarantee the least amount of bloodshed for both sides."

"Lelouch, you did it, you organized all of it?" the young boy, Suzaku, asked, "But…weren't we…"

"Yes, we were, and I'll continue to think of you as one," Lelouch said, he was now buttoning a royal vest and jacket up on his small frame designating himself as Royalty, "You were my first friend Suzaku. I wish I could have achieved this in some other way. Suzaku, we probably won't see each other again, but good luck, I'll do my best to make sure the transition will be as easy as possible for you and your people."

Lelouch turned around as Suzaku was led alongside the other Japanese away into the refuge camps. He got into a car alongside Clovis and they began to drive towards the command center for the Britannian Army. "That must have been hard for you Lelouch," Clovis said carefully, trying not to upset Lelouch more than he all ready was.

"How is Nunnally?" Lelouch asked, changing the subject rather quickly.

"She's surprised, shocked, and a little angry with you when she found out you organized it all," Clovis sighed as he looked out the window, the solder driving them obviously uncomfortable by the rather personal nature of the conversation he was being forced to listen to.

"That's understandable, and what of father?" Lelouch asked, his primary concern out of the way now.

"Pleasantly surprised we pulled it off, he honestly didn't expect us to be able to win this fight. He would have been astounded if we didn't receive some formidable opposition near Itsukushima, we won that battle, but it took a couple of days. The general in that area was truly astounding, Toudou something…"

"I see, well then, we have a lot of work to get done don't we?" Lelouch asked, trying to sound happier.

"Indeed, Governor Lelouch," Clovis said with a chuckle, "Father officially promoted you after he heard your plan was a success. I've been appointed as your vice-governor because he thinks we make a good team."

"Heh, imagine that. Well then, I was thinking about implementing the Honoree Britannian System here as soon as possible, given how quickly Japan was taken…no what area number was it given?" Lelouch asked.

"Area Eleven," Clovis answered, "A nice number if you ask me, two ones side by side."

"Area Eleven, that would make the Japanese Elevens now…that's going to take some getting use to," Lelouch said as he looked out the window, then he saw something that caught his attention. "Stop the car," Lelouch said and was quickly obeyed.

"Lelouch what's…" Clovis began to ask when Lelouch opened the door and hopped out of the car, Clovis fumbling with his door to follow him.

Lelouch marched towards a scene he found rather distressing, a young red-headed girl was being manhandled by a Britannian solder who was trying to separate her from an older Japanese boy, well into his teens as he was being herded towards the refuge camp, "What is the meaning of this?" Lelouch loudly asked catching all of their attention.

The solder let go of the girl and clicked his heels together in salute, "I'm trying to take the girl to find her family, this Eleven has obviously kidnapped…" the solder responded as Lelouch looked at the two of them.

"Are you two related?" Lelouch asked in Japanese the teenager and the red-headed girl, she couldn't have been older than he was, but the look in her eyes was far more naïve than his own, a fact that didn't sit well with Lelouch.

"Yes, she's my younger sister, well half-sister," the teenager answered looking at Lelouch, somewhat surprised that the Solder listened to him.

Lelouch turned to the solder and said in English, "She's half Japanese, he is her brother. You're doing the opposite of what you intend to do. Cease and desist."

"Yes your highness," the solder said, walking away to deal with the crowd as a whole now.

"There, that solves your problem for you," Lelouch said in Japanese again, turning to leave.

"Ummm, can I ask your name?" the teenager asked.

"Lelouch Vi Britannia," Lelouch answered while he walked back towards the car, Clovis finally managing to get his door to open and got out of the car, only for Lelouch to take that exact moment to hop back in.

"I have the worst timing," Clovis laughed as he got back in, closing his door, "So what was that about? You're not the type to take other people's problems on yourself."

"They were brother and sister," Lelouch said, answering Clovis' question without directly stating his answer.

Seven years later

A much older Lelouch was now examining a capsule that he had been trapped inside a truck with. Lelouch had let his hair grow out slightly and was wearing a school uniform to a Britannian Family that was related to his later Mother, the Ashfords. He sighed as doors to the truck opened up revealing he was pretty deep underground, "I swear, I got myself into one hell of a situation," Lelouch complained lightly, right before something caught his eye, a flying kick aimed at his head which Lelouch barely had time to block, but the source of the kick was powerful enough to send him flying to the ground, and he was quickly pinned.

"Stop killing! I know it's tough but stop involving innocent…" a solder demanded of Lelouch.

"Get off me Private unless you enjoy pinning your governor to the floor," Lelouch said in a commanding voice, glaring at the solder.

"What…" the solder stammered, getting up and backing away, Lelouch getting up himself and then walking into the light, "Lelouch, it is you…do you remember…" the solder said as he removed his helmet.

"Suzaku? You joined the military?" Lelouch asked surprised at seeing his old friend again.

"Yes, but you, you joined a…"

"Of course not, that would be counter-productive to do things in such a round about way when I could just order it," Lelouch said as he looked at the capsule, "What's in this thing?"

"Poison gas by the reports," Suzaku said, his eyes widening, the capsule was opening, Suzaku leapt forward to cover Lelouch with his body as he forced a gas mask over Lelouch's face.

The capsule opened in a brilliant display of light as a young green haired woman was revealed to have been kept inside, bound in an excessively complex straight-jacket.

"Suzaku, I hate to break it to you, but that's not poison gas," Lelouch said as he tried to get up, hampered by Suzaku being just as surprised as he was by this revelation and still laying on top of him, "Suzaku, I'm going to start accusing you of liking this position if you don't let me up," Lelouch threatened snapping Suzaku out of his shock and off of him. Lelouch got up and walked over to the girl, "Suzaku, give me a hand getting her out of this thing."

"Ah, yes of course," Suzaku said, the two of them lifting the girl up and out of the capsule, and then out of the truck onto the ground, and began undoing her bonds bit by bit as she slowly came to, "So who is she Lelouch? Do you have any idea?"

"Not a clue, but if word gets out about…"

"Word won't get out," a much older voice said as many clicking of guns could be heard, "Who gave you permission to…"

"His governor that's who," Lelouch snapped as he stood up, "Your name and unit solder," Lelouch ordered as he walked forward, taking a small cross from his jacket, the badge of the Royal Family, "Lelouch Vi Britannia commands it, and I want to know what's going on here."

"The…" one of the other solders said as Suzaku came forward and walked towards the leader of the group.

"It doesn't matter. Boy, shoot him," the leader said, shocking Lelouch as he handed Suzaku a pistol.

"But…I can't shoot a prince, let alone…" Suzaku objected and turning to Lelouch, and was quickly shot in the back.

"Suit yourself, nobody can know about this, even the Governor of Area Eleven," the leader of this unit of solders said, obviously a special unit. "Any last words your highness?" the solder asked with a smirk on his face as Lelouch grimaced, trying to find a way out of this situation, "Perhaps something you'd like me to tell Prince Clovis when he takes your job?"

Fortunately for him, he didn't have to find a way, the truck behind him exploded, sending rubble crashing down, separating Lelouch from his would be executioners for a moment, which was all Lelouch needed to grab the girl and retreat down one of the many tunnels and out of site. "Damn it, what's going on here. What is Clovis planning?" Lelouch grumbled as he led the girl, "And what is with this girl? Why is she considered to be such a secret?" After a while, Lelouch stopped to catch his breath, and looked at the girl, who was watching him with her yellow eyes, almost cat-like, "Do you have a name?"

The girl remained quiet for a moment, just watching him and then answered, "C.C."

"C.C. is it? Well then, I don't suppose you could inform me of what's going on?" Lelouch asked, "Or at least why you were in that capsule."

"They were, studying me," C.C. answered carefully.

"So there's something special about you," Lelouch said looking at her, taking note of a strange tattoo she had on her forehead, "That doesn't exactly narrow things down any. If they are willing to kill me over you, there is something very special about you."

"I'll show you, in exchange for one wish you will grant me," C.C. offered, "In exchange for granting one of my wishes I'll give you a power unlike any other."

"Is this some sort of, no it's probably not. What is your wish?" Lelouch asked looking at C.C.

"Destroy the Sword of Akasha," she answered immediately, "A simple request."

"Destroy a sword, very well, if you can grant me this so called great power, I'll gladly destroy this sword for you," Lelouch said, C.C. walking towards him and placing her hand on his chest.

Then Lelouch began seeing strange images, Jupiter, an army of women with the same mark on their bodies as C.C. had, two planets about to crash into one another, and then he heard the woman's voice, "In exchange for this gift of power, you will grant one wish of mine. You will live amongst humans as one of them, but also not one of them. Different Rules, Different Time, Different Life. The power of the king will indeed make you lonely," and then Lelouch saw his father standing before a strange temple.

"Very well, I enter into this contract," Lelouch said as the images faded, and he suddenly became aware of something awakening inside of him, "Geass," he said as his eye lit up with the same symbol as the one that was on C.C.'s forehead. He smirked as his mind flooded with information, all pertaining to how to activate this new found power, "Destroy the Sword of Akasha? Such a simple request in exchange for this power, I could destroy Britannia with this power…no, I think I'll take the throne instead, I'll rewrite Britannia's rules, I'll find out my mother's killers. Heh, this power, finally it will grant me the power I need to grant my wishes," Lelouch laughed, and the looked at C.C., "Lets go, we have a few things we must do before we're safe."

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And that's where I'll end it this chapter. When I'm getting close to 3500 words I know I've written enough for one chapter. Well then, time for my customary questions to help spark some reviews.

1) So what do you think of the idea behind this fic? Having Lelouch have the courage to face his father and play his game instead of running away?

2) Yes I'm going to keep Zero. How do you think I'm going to pull that off? (Yes it will be different from the show)

3) The next chapter is going to be fun, how much do you think I'm going to change things?

4) So think I'm right about that Sword of Akasha thing being part of Lelouch's contract? (Yes, that's what I'm thinking C.C. wants from Lelouch).

That's all for now. Now press that review button or I'm going to have Suzaku tackle and press himself against you. Ciao for now!

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	2. Conditions Clear

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, it clearly does not feature enough political intrigue to be done by me.

Um, wow, 14 reviews, 356 hits, 2 c2s, 19 favs, and 15 story alerts. In about 24 hours...When the hell did I become that popular?

On another note, it looks like Suzaku pressed up against at least 5 people who failed to review.

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Lelouch and C.C. continued to walk along the underground path they were following trying to find an exit, Lelouch deep in thought as C.C. followed him, neither having spoken for some time. And then Lelouch began chuckling, "Yes, that's how I'll do it," he finally said as he looked back at C.C. with a smirk ,"How many people know about your existence?"

"I would guess Clovis, as well as Bartley, then there was a science team devoted to researching me. Besides them and that hit squad that was sent out, I don't know…no there are two others, but they aren't in this country but would hear of me if I became public knowledge," C.C. answered.

"Good, so we only have a few people we have to dispose of to keep this power of mine a secret." Lelouch said, an exit quickly coming into view, "About time." Lelouch slowly walked up to the exit, a staircase leading up, and then began crawling up it to make sure no one was up there, and then he heard gunshots and screaming. Then the voices of the special squadron from before, he grumbled to himself that this way was no good, and then his phone rang, "Just my luck," Lelouch grumbled as he quickly turned it off, in vain as he was quickly dragged up into a large warehouse by the special squadron, as was C.C.

"I must commend you my governor, not many people would have been able to get this far, proof of your royal heritage. But this is the end of the…" the squad captain began to say as a crashing sound came from behind him, a knightmare frame burst through the wall, a Sutherland.

Lelouch quickly whipped out his Royal badge and presented it to the Sutherland, "Protect me!" he ordered, the Sutherland hesitating a second as the special squadron began to level their weapons at Lelouch, and then the Sutherland opened fire on the special squadron, killing them all, C.C. barely getting out of the way of fire beforehand.

Lelouch breathed a sigh of relief as the pilot of the Sutherland exited, a dark skinned platinum haired woman, she looked down on the floor and said, "A Special Squadron, I just…"

"You just saved a prince's life as well as your governor's," Lelouch said walking forward, "I am Lelouch Vi Britannia, they were hired to kill me."

The woman stared wide eyed at Lelouch and then quickly dropped to one knee in a bow, "Your Highness, I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner."

"Forget it, you were here when I needed it and that's what I care about," Lelouch said motioning for C.C. to come over to him, "Call in another Sutherland, she was captured by the terrorists in the area, the special squadron disposed of them, but not before I could get away, I retrieved her to make sure they wouldn't kill her. Only mention me though."

"Yes your highness," the woman said as she got up and ran over to her Sutherland, Lelouch's smirk returning to his face.

"An elaborate lie," C.C. commented in a whisper.

Lelouch chuckled at that and said, "It's technically the truth. I just omitted a few key details."

C.C. gave a small smile, the first one Lelouch had seen on her face since this incident started, "True," and then added with a hint of sarcasm, "Your highness. So what are you going to do, I assume you plan on removing me from the combat zone."

"Indeed, I plan on making use of the terrorists. I obviously can't trust most of the army right now, they are under the control of Clovis. My position as Governor is mostly me making the more important decisions while Clovis handles the day to day decisions in my stead because I haven't appeared in public under the name of Britannia before. I had hoped I would give my sister a somewhat normal life, at least while she was still young, I suppose fate just won't let me be," Lelouch mused in a whisper while the Knightmare pilot descended from her Knightmare again.

"He'll be here in a minute your highness," she said as Lelouch began scavenging together a uniform from the special squadron, "What are you…"

"Putting together a disguise, I would prefer not to have my identity revealed more than it all ready has," Lelouch said, having gathered enough and then went behind some rubble to change, "So what's your name solder?"

"Villetta Nu, sire," the woman answered quickly.

"I'll be sure to put your performance today under consideration for a possible promotion," Lelouch said while changing, "What's the situation like out there?"

"We're currently cleansing the ghetto's of anybody we can find to eradicate the terrorists in the area,"

"Tch, overkill as always," Lelouch growled as he walked out, having changed to make himself look like the leader of the special squadron, "Bit small for me but it'll have to do."

Another Sutherland came bursting into the warehouse they were in, as the pilot quickly disembarked and then bowed to Lelouch, "My Prince, what would you have me do?"

"Ah good, Villetta Nu, I charge you with transporting this woman out of the combat zone, bring her to my office in the settlement headquarters, I'll debrief her on the situation personally," Lelouch said while C.C. walked over to the female pilot, then to the new solder Lelouch said, "You'll be transporting me to field command. I'm going to have to put a stop to this massacre.."

Both pilots saluted and said, "Yes your highness!" Villetta escorted C.C. to her Sutherland and loaded her up, Lelouch stalling for time by adjusting his disguise until Villetta had left. "Your highness, please we must hurry, this area still isn't exactly safe."

"Indeed, it isn't," Lelouch said as his eye lit up with the symbol, a strange almost birdlike sigil, Lelouch then ordered, "Give me your Knightmare and then knock yourself out."

The pilot hesitated for a second and then said, "The code is X four five dash nine K J. Password is nine zero zero dash five three two" and then passed Lelouch a key device, before taking out his gun and then hitting himself in the head with it, immediately falling unconscious.

Lelouch boarded the Knightmare and then took out a small radio device he had lifted off a terrorist's uniform earlier, "Well then, lets make use of you."

Within fifty minutes Lelouch had the Britannian forces on the ropes, having captured many Sutherlands and given them to the terrorists to use against Britannia. He had led them through countless simple tactics which were completely overwhelming the Britannian army. Then something happened, his little makeshift army of terrorists were beginning to drop like flies, puzzling Lelouch until he heard that it was deflecting bullets, "So, that Lloyd got his machine working and found a pilot for it even. I didn't expect that," Lelouch commented, and then his eyes went wide as a slash harken anchored itself in the ceiling of his hiding place in a ruined skyscraper, "Crap, it saw me." Lelouch shot his own Sutherland out of the his hiding place and onto the side of the building just as the new machine a white and gold themed suit reached the top and shot inside the building, "Can't afford to get caught yet." Lelouch's Sutherland quickly began to take damage from the new knightmare, and before he could be taken down a red Glasgow came to save him, a Glasgow that was with the terrorists. Lelouch smirked as the pilot ejected, as he followed suit, being sent in the complete opposite direction. "Very useful, that girl is very useful, but why did she remind me of somebody I've met before? Well no matter. Now I just need to go and confront my dear nii-san about this whole having me killed thing."

Lelouch quickly made his way through the battlefield towards the mobile command center, pulling the uniform's hat down to help hide his face, the uniform itself allowing him quick entry past any and all blockades without so much as a peep of protest. After reaching the giant command center Lelouch immediately walked inside and towards the command deck, opening the door, surprising the assembled strategists in the room as well as General Bartley and Clovis La Britannia. "Everybody out now!" Bartley ordered, dismissing the strategists in the room, and as soon as they left he asked, "Have you found her?"

"I don't know, Bartley, who are you talking about?" Lelouch asked as he removed his hat, revealing his face.

"Prince, Le-Lelouch," Bartley stammered as Clovis stood up open mouthed as Lelouch went towards a control panel and turned on the loudspeaker connecting to the entire area.

"This is Lelouch Vi Britannia, Governor of Area Eleven, this is a direct and absolute order! Cease all hostilities immediately! Help the wounded whether they be Britannian or Eleven. I repeat, this is a direct order from Lelouch Vi Britannia the Governor of Area Eleven, cease all hostilities immediately!" Lelouch boomed out in a far more commanding and angry voice than he had been using while directing the terrorists in battle. He turned the speaker off, and then turned the room itself off to have a private chat with the two men in the room, "C.C."

"C.C. whoever are you talking about?" Clovis asked nervously, Bartley checking himself for a weapon, which he soon found he had failed to take one with him in the room.

"I just said C.C. I never said it was a person," Lelouch said, causing Clovis to visibly shake, "Who is she?"

"Uh…Bartley…" Clovis shakily called for assistance, Lelouch turning to Bartley.

"Bartley Asprius, accept this order from Lelouch Vi Britannia," Lelouch said as his eye lit up again, with the power of his Geass as he took out a gun and placed it on the command console near him, "Take this gun and kill Clovis when I order you to."

Bartley stood in shock for a moment, then his features slackened, and a slight red rim appeared around his eyes, walking over to pick up the gun Bartley said, "Yes, your Highness."

Lelouch turned to Clovis and began ascending towards his throne in the command center, "Clovis La Britannia," he began, his eye lighting up with the Geass again, "Did you specifically order my death should I learn about C.C.?"

Clovis tried to back away, obviously not very effectively given he had a wall between him and freedom, for but a moment, when he slumped and answered, "Yes. I could not risk anybody learning about her."

"Why?"

"She is, immortal, she has enhanced reflexes, she is the basis for the ultimate solder. A solder that could give me the throne," Clovis answered as Lelouch turned away, releasing Clovis from the Geass.

"Bartley," Lelouch said as he prepared to leave the room, putting his back to the door and his hand on the control panel, "Kill him." Lelouch then opened the door and fell out of the room as Bartley fired, Lelouch looked around to make sure nobody was in the hall with him, and then called "Guards!" before getting back on his feet and putting distance, being met by several solders quickly, "Capture Bartley Asprius, he just shot Clovis La Britannia!" Lelouch could hear the sounds of a struggle and screams of denial from behind him as he took out his Royal Badge and fastened it on his uniform jacket and then put his hat back on, leaning up against a wall while he waited for Bartley to be removed. After a kicking and screaming Bartley was removed in handcuffs and Lelouch was left alone in the command center Lelouch smirked, "All conditions cleared. Both Bartley and Clovis have been removed. I'll likely see someone more talented to replace them shortly though, in the meantime I'll just have to make use of the time to get my house in order," Lelouch said while he turned and walked out of the mobile command center to direct the escorting and treatment of the refuges in the area.

Karen Kozuki was being escorted alongside the many Japanese citizens by the Britannian Army to a makeshift treatment and relocation center, as she passed the mobile command center of the Britannina Army she saw the same eyes she saw when she was but a child, the same cold but concerned eyes that were on the face of the boy who helped her stay with her older brother when the Britannians threatened to separate them. And then she saw it, the Royal Badge of the Britannian Royal Family, it was Clovis La Britannia's brother, the mastermind behind the invasion of Japan, Lelouch Vi Britannia that she saw in a strange uniform with his face obscured by a hat that was too large for him.

* * *

And that's where I'll end it for this chapter, yes I know this one was shorter, but I also wrote it in one day so cut me some slack. I got so many reviews I decided to post the next chapter faster than usual. Plus I felt a bit more inspired. Next chapter, yes we're going to see Nunnally in the next chapter people.

On a side note, I'm surprised at how many people keep asking me to do Kallen/Lelouch, to answer if I'm going to do that or not, I don't know. If that's where the story leads that's where the story leads. Now for those darling questions I like asking…

1) Well…I think this Lelouch has actually ended up being a bit more evil than the canon one. What do you think?

2) Heh, like the twists I introduced in this chapter? On the surface things haven't changed that much from canon, but the key details have changed. How do you think that's going to effect the story?

And for those of you wondering why he didn't just go directly to Clovis considering his position. For the exact same reason as he did in the anime, he needed to thin the defenses and cause some chaos, that should go without saying.

Now press that review button or I'll have Lelouch "all condition clear" you.

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos

Ciao for now!


	3. Motivations and Plans

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass, if I did we'd have one Knightmare equipped with a drill weapon. Why? You obviously don't watch enough mecha anime if you asked that.

39 reviews (19.5 per chapter), 1173 hits, 5 c2s, 28 favs, 32 alerts, in 4 days...de-yamn...You people are impressing me (mostly for the reviews, I like that review average) and I always feel like writing more when I'm getting reviews. To those of you who are reading Perfect Judgment, it's on hiatus until I found out more about C.C. I discovered that Lelouch would figure out the things the canon Lelouch figures out much sooner.

* * *

Lelouch walked into his office in the settlement military headquarters towering over the city itself. Where he came practically face to face with C.C. immediately, "You're late, its all ready night time."

Lelouch laughed as he put a little distance between them and closed the door, he began checking around the room to make sure there weren't any bugs or anybody else in the room with them, an easy task considering how bare he kept the room, satisfied after a few minutes he said, "That power you gave me, is quite useful."

"You enjoy it I see, so what did you do with it?" C.C. asked with a small smile creeping across her face.

"Silenced Clovis and neutralized Bartley, now only that science team will prove troublesome. Step one was executed beautifully thanks to you granting me this power," Lelouch said as he sat down on a desk, "Step two is all ready underway thanks to this as well."

"Step two?" C.C. asked as Lelouch smirked, "So you have something planned all ready. As expected of the genius who conquered Japan when he was ten. And with as little bloodshed as you did so."

"Heh, it wasn't that hard, I just needed to draw the main military forces away from where I was sending the Knightmares. Truthfully I never expected Knightmares to be that effective, I knew they would successfully give me the foothold I needed to move in heavier and more conventional weapons, I didn't expect they would be so superior due to their incredible response times and speed," Lelouch admitted as he straightened up, "Now what to do with you. I assume you have no family or place to stay, miss immortal…"

"So you found out why they were interested in me," C.C. mused and then looked right at Lelouch, "What do you plan on doing with that information your…."

"Stop saying that, it sounds foul coming out of your mouth for some reason. Lelouch will be fine. And I really have no plans on doing anything with that information,"

"I see. So what is this next step of yours?"

"Rooting out the terrorists in the area. I all ready have a persona in mind to do so. On the surface value that wouldn't be too difficult to do, but it's not the terrorists I'm interested in, it's the three supports they have,"

"Three supports?" C.C. asked, almost like she all ready knew where Lelouch was heading with this line of thought.

"Money, technology, and command. Arresting individual terrorists is pointless, if you want to stop them you have to capture their source of money, their source of advanced weaponry, and their command structure. As long as even one of the three is in place they will prove to be a threat. For that purpose I think I'll appeal to the Japanese people's sense of loss and desire for justice….Zero, the champion of justice against the unjust Britannian Empire's harsh rule," Lelouch said with a smirk while he began pacing, "Then, step three, using the forces I capture to reinforce my own political and military position. This will serve a secondary purpose of showing the Japanese that if they try hard enough anything is possible, which I will reinforce by creating multiple programs to make such things easier."

C.C. was stunned at this little revelation, Lelouch's plan obviously exceeding her expectations, "And then?"

"And then imagine who they will be loyal to instead of who they theoretically should be loyal to," Lelouch said, with so much else hidden under that statement.

"I see…It's dangerous, but also brilliant. If it works…" C.C. said while beginning to think about it herself, "You could claim the throne of Britannia within ten years."

"Heh, three years unless unexpected developments occur. Two years if the developments I am expecting to occur don't. And with that throne, I can change the rules, from my father's survival of the fittest to something where the weak are no longer abused simply because they are weak," Lelouch said and then chuckled, "In fact, it is likely I could take over all the world if things go according to plan up to that point."

"It would appear I chose a worthy person to contract with," C.C. commented with a smirk, "I'll need a place to stay, I assume you want me to stay with you."

"Indeed," Lelouch said as he walked behind his desk and sat down in the chair there, opening up a computer screen built into the desk, "I'll have to create some identification documents for you. Is seventeen fine for your age? You could easily pass for it, but given that you're immortal I expect you to be much older right?"

"Indeed, and no, I won't say how old. Seventeen will be fine, I suppose that means you plan on enrolling me at school? Speaking of which, why were you in a school uniform when we met? Wouldn't…"

"To the public at large I am Lelouch Lamperouge, the man known as Lelouch Vi Britannia is reclusive having not revealed himself to the public at large since he was a child. I want to give my little sister a somewhat normal childhood given how much she's had to endure thanks to her status as a princess and my sister. I set us up as a noble family and we both go to the Ashford Academy. Shall I pass you off as a cousin of ours from the Britannian mainland?"

"It seems you have things planned out fairly far so far. What identity are you going to create for me?"

"Cecelia Lamperouge, seventeen years old, cousin on our mother's side from the mainland," Lelouch answered, "Any problems?"

"Cecelia…cut off the lia part of that and it is pronounced as C.C. not exactly the most creative name, but easy to remember and if you let my name slip you can pass it off as my nickname," C.C. mused, "Simple, to the point, and with you hiding me in plain site and giving you an excuse to get offended if someone questions my identity. A good disguise. Not the best, but on short notice it's good."

"That's what I was thinking," Lelouch said as he took out a small disk and then began copying something from the computer onto it, finishing he took it out and then slipped it into his pocket. "But I'll have to work on this at home. I don't want to keep my sister waiting, she's probably refusing to go to sleep until I get home," Lelouch chuckled as he moved towards the door, "Coming?"

"What do you plan on telling people with me dressed like this?" C.C. asked with a playful smile, almost cat-like in fact.

"The truth, you were kidnapped and put in that outfit to keep you quiet," Lelouch answered simply, "I don't have to mention by whom after all."

"Stop being so damn impressive, you're making me feel young and naïve again," C.C. complained.

Lelouch chuckled as he opened the door and walked outside into the halls of the building, followed by C.C. rather quickly. They were about to take the elevator down when Lelouch heard a rather familiar and annoying voice, "Your Highness! Hold on a second please!" Lelouch turned to look at the one who called him, a tall man with greenish hair in a typical rank and file uniform of the military, but his decorations marked him as being a high ranking member of the Military. "Your highness, what happened on the field today? Prince Clovis is dead, General Bartley is no where to be found…and who is this woman?"

"Jeremiah Gottwald, the first two questions are classified information, as for the third, she knows information of a sensitive nature. However she is also of exceptional use to myself and the empire so she will be under my care for quite sometime, the nature of that information is also classified. If you needed to know any of this you wouldn't need to ask," Lelouch told the man as the elevator opened as he and C.C. walked inside, the doors closing behind them. Lelouch sighed as they went down to the lower levels, "I swear, that was rather convenient timing. Jeremiah will be able to answer any questions that will be asked about you and with his rank he'll be able to deflect any suspicions when he mentions the phrase classified information."

The elevator doors opened, a car waiting in front of them with a driver standing by the passenger door, opening it the moment he saw Lelouch, "Good day sir…and good day to you young miss," the driver said when he saw C.C. as well.

"Wish I could say it was a good day," Lelouch sighed as he motioned for C.C. to get in first, "A lot of rather unpleasant things happened today."

"I would imagine, that whole Shinjuku incident would create literally a mountain worth of paperwork Mr. Lamperouge." the driver said while Lelouch got in the car as well.

"You would have no idea," Lelouch said and then continued, "I'd like to not talk about today if you don't mind."

The car trip was rather uneventful, C.C. deciding to remain quiet as they made their way across the highways of the city, towards the wealthier parts of town. Both C.C. and Lelouch were obviously deep in thought, Lelouch's thoughts centering on his plans and who knows what C.C. was thinking. They began passing multiple mansions as they pulled into the driveway of one of the larger mansions. The two of them got out at the end of the driveway before the main doors of the mansion and then the driver drove the car to an underground garage. "Well then, welcome to my not so humble abode," Lelouch said with a smile while the two walked up the steps and entered the front doors of the mansion. "Onii-sama!" a happy voice said as soon as Lelouch closed the door as a small girl with long brown hair in a simple pink dress rolled into the room on an electric wheelchair, her eyes closed, "You're finally home, what happened…Onii-sama? Whose that with you?"

"This is C.C. she'll be staying with us for a while Nunnally," Lelouch said, his voice taking on a far kinder tone than it had seen for the past twelve hours, "I've put her in the witness protection program and because of why I decided it'd be good to oversee who personally."

"I see, welcome C.C.-san," Nunnally said as she turned to C.C., giving her a short bow while sitting in her wheelchair, how was anybodies guess because she had not once opened her eyes.

C.C. was rather surprised by Nunnally, but it didn't last long when she said, "Thank you. I guess we'll be family for at least a while."

"C.C.-san, that's your nickname isn't it? What's your name?" Nunnally asked, quite happily after her last statement.

"Cecelia, and I suppose it's Cecelia Lamperouge now," C.C. said as she looked at Lelouch and mouthed, something rather rude and quite frankly expressing a certain annoyance at Lelouch at the exact moment.

Lelouch only smiled as he walked over to Nunnally, bent down and hugged her, "Onii-sama? What's wrong?" she asked, noticing Lelouch was shaking.

"Nothing, nothing now, today…was just a very scary day," Lelouch answered, as he calmed down, he stood back up and said, "We should get you to bed, we do have school tomorrow afterall."

About an hour later Lelouch walked out onto a balcony where C.C. was waiting and looking out on the settlement, "So that's your motivation," C.C. said without turning to look at him.

"Indeed, my mother was assassinated when I was young, Nunnally was caught in the crossfire, her knee caps were blown out. She'll probably never be able to walk again, and she hasn't opened her eyes once since that day. She's not blind, she was just so traumatized by that event that she refuses to look at the world again. All because of my father's policies," Lelouch answered.

"So you plan on playing his game, getting your hands as dirty as you need to, and then when you've won you plan on changing the rules, all for the sake of your sister so that she won't have to live in a world where things like that are commonplace," C.C. stated.

"Yes, that's exactly right. Even if she grows to hate me for it, I will forge a better world," Lelouch said, his eye glowing with the sigil of the Geass, "With this Geass you gave me, it's finally possible to begin my plans. Raise my own army, a better army, better equipped, loyal to me, and then take the Empire from that man's hands, even if I must damn my soul I will change the world for the better."

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter. And like I said Nunnally did appear (I must say, she is and probably will continue to be the hardest person for me to write). I do hope this chapter answers most of the questions previous chapters posed, but now I know more questions have been created. Well guess what? You have questions and so do I….

1) Which little twist that I introduced in this chapter was your favorite? Or least favorite if you can't decide which one you liked best.

2) On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being not too different and 10 being completely different), how different would you say my Lelouch is from being like the canon one?

3) Think I'm going to include the orange incident or do you think I'm going to do something else?

And that's all, so press that review button and give me a review before Lelouch decides the next chapter is classified information.

Ciao for now.

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	4. Traitors

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass, if I did I would drop that extra T in Kallen's Britannian last name, seriously that thing is hard to remember.

Okay Stats time:

66 reviews for three chapters, 22 reviews a chapter, 3436 hits, 6 c2s, 50 favorite lists, 60 story alerts…damn I'd love to get that many reviews a chapter, 60 reviews a chapter would be awesome, incredibly so.

* * *

"Good morning, I am Cecelia Lamperouge, I am seventeen years old, do take good care of me," C.C. said introducing herself to her new class, Lelouch having arranged for her to be in the same class as himself.

"Thank you Ms. Lamperouge, please take a seat by Ms. Fenette there in the middle right row, she's the long haired red-head," the Teacher said pointing towards a girl who was visibly sighing in relief after C.C. introduced herself.

Lelouch smirked, remembering that when he showed up this morning Shirley was running to greet him like she normally did but hid the moment she saw C.C. exit his car with him. It was a rather mean thought, but he still couldn't help but find it amusing, and then he noticed a rather large number of the male students in the class looking at him, their expressions saying _"You must introduce us."_ Even his self-appointed best friend Rivalz was doing the same. The thought that passed through his head at the moment was _"Damn it, I didn't count on that, my popularity is just going to go up thanks to this isn't it? Maybe I should have chosen a different identity…"_

"We also have a student returning from being sick today as well, Kallen Stadtfelt, she'll be here momentarily after she finishes her check-up," the Teacher said as he turned around to the blackboard to start class. Lelouch barely paid attention to class, plotting his prompt escape from class while all the men in the class plotted how they were going to corner him. About halfway through the first class, a young woman entered the class, with straight dark red hair and a tired expression on her face, "Ah, miss Stadtfelt, I trust you're well enough to join class today?" the teacher asked seeing her enter.

Lelouch smirked, this would be his chance, the class was now divided between wanting to get close to this new girl, and wanting to get closer to C.C. through him. With any luck it would be enough to sneak out when the time came. Then he noticed something, that hair color and her eyes, they seemed familiar, after only a moment he realized what it was. He saw her yesterday, she was one of the terrorists, the one who piloted the red Glasgow that let him make his escape even. However he had watched her a moment too long, Rivalz noticed he looked interested in her, and the new girl, Kallen Stadtfelt also noticed he had been watching her. However while she walked towards her seat, he saw something else, a look of realization on her face when she saw his face. "_I see, if she was there yesterday it means she may have seen my face while I was directing that relocation. Great, she may know I am in fact Lelouch Vi Britannia and not just another student,"_ Lelouch thought, holding his expression neutral despite the possibility.

As the day went on, it only got more and more uncomfortable for him, he still had the full attention of the entire male population in the class, the lot of them deciding C.C. would be the easier one to get closer to thanks to them having a possible in via Lelouch. And then the was Kallen who had currently squashed a great many hopes by paying attention to Lelouch, something that wasn't unnoticed. As the final class came to a close Lelouch tightened his shoelaces, making it quite clear he was going to make a bolt for it to anybody paying attention. He had been lucky during breaks thus far, nobody wanting to make an obvious move while C.C. was around in case she'd shoot them down immediately. As the bell rang Lelouch was ready to bolt when he heard the voice of his savior, "Lelouch, remember you said you were going to show me around school today," C.C. said, effectively derailing all plans on confronting him.

Lelouch smiled and immediately said, "Ah yes, of course, well then shall we get started?" Lelouch asked as the two of them left the classroom, after he was out of earshot he said, "You saved me."

"I could see you making plans for escape all day. You failed to consider I'd be so popular didn't you?" C.C. taunted under her breath with a sly look in her eyes.

"Indeed, though that isn't the only problem. That sickly looking girl. I believe it's an act, and that she knows I'm Lelouch Vi Britannia, or more likely thinks I am. I remember seeing her yesterday," Lelouch said under his breath, making sure only C.C. could hear him.

"I see, that would explain why she's following us behind the men from your class," C.C. explained, looking behind them from the corner of her eye with a slight tilt of her head.

"Heh, I have much to learn still, I only noticed the guys," Lelouch chuckled.

"So you do have flaws," C.C. commented as they continued to walk along, "I read I'm supposed to join some sort of club as school policy…"

"Ah yes, I had meant to talk to you about that. But since you've all ready read about it, have you thought about what club you'll join?" Lelouch asked, taking a look behind him ever so slightly, seeing a rather large crowd try to hide themselves now, "It looks like we've picked up a good deal more followers."

"You wouldn't happen to be some sort of school idol now would you?"

"Unfortunately, good grades but not the best, good looks but not the best, distant aloof personality, a hint of arrogance, I don't get why I'm so popular myself,"

"Its simple, it's because they can't have you," C.C. stated simply, "The sheer fact that you're out of their league makes you all the more desirable. You probably don't show any real interest in a relationship, you are a noble, and you have a bright future. People want things they can't have."

Lelouch remained speechless for a minute or so before responding, "I really do hate to admit it, but you are right. And I get the feeling it'll be the same with you."

"Indeed, but I'm far less approachable than you," C.C. said with an incredibly sly smile, "If you were manlier you wouldn't have to worry so much."

"Ouch," Lelouch commented, but with a loss for words otherwise.

"Lelouch! I heard last night!" a happy voice said as the sound of running footsteps came closer, a young woman in the school uniform with thick blonde hair appearing practically out of nowhere, "So this is the mysterious cousin I've heard so much about today."

"Cecelia," Lelouch said as he motioned towards the new woman while looking at C.C., "This is Millay Ashford, heiress to the Ashford family, president of the Student Council, and number one gossip hound in the school."

"Lelouch, I don't gossip, I just like learning secrets, I don't go spreading them around," the woman objected, "Well then, Cecelia Lamperouge, lets go talk just us girls."

"And leave Lelouch to deal with the mob?" C.C. asked with a smirk.

"You catch on fast," Millay laughed as Lelouch got a worried look on his face, "Better run, Mr. vice-president."

Lelouch sighed, "You traitors," before running off just as the PA system turned on.

"Everybody! The chase for the new Transfer Student has just begun, the rules are simple! Just catch Lelouch and he'll be forced to introduce you to his cousin! First come first serve and don't think you can cheat and just walk up to her! That's not showing your conviction when you could prove yourself!" Shirley's voice announced over the PA system, "Guys, this is your chance to prove yourself better than Lelouch and meet his cousin! Girls this is your chance to force him into staying still for a conversation!"

It took a few moments for the shock to wear off, but then Lelouch could feel hundreds of eyes setting their sights on him, "Crap…" Lelouch said all ready starting to run out of breath, and then a wall of students suddenly appeared in front of him from around a corner, then Lelouch got an idea, he activated his Geass and said, "Help me escape."

A moment passed and they all nodded, boys and girls alike, "Yes sir…Okay everybody! Stop the crowd coming from that direction! It'll be better to get on his good side first than to try and force him!" one of them yelled out while Lelouch ran through the group, a small smirk on his face.

"Twenty meter range at least, and it doesn't have to be particularly audible for the command to work. And it works on multiple targets," he said to himself, "I may have to thank Millay for this, this is the perfect chance to see just how my power works." Lelouch was coming to a corner when something caught his eye he immediately commanded, "Out of my way," and then he saw it, a large mirror with people being reflected from around the corner, and who were now hugging the walls making room for him to pass. Lelouch ran past them and said to himself, "So it has properties of light, meaning it can be reflected, and the range is larger than I thought it might be." This went on for about thirty minutes, Lelouch making various discoveries along the way, one of the most annoying ones was that is power only worked once on any given person, but a less annoying one was that they didn't consciously have to hear his command and that he could effect someone over two hundred and fifty meters away. Lelouch finally made it outside where he could see some of the opposition he feared the most would show up, the sports clubs.

"Hey Lelouch! Hop in!" Rivalz voice yelled as a motorcycle with a side car suddenly pulled up in front of him. Lelouch didn't have to be told twice as he hopped in as Rivalz tore off, easily getting pass the gauntlet and out onto the streets, "Guess this means I won then," Rivalz laughed as Lelouch chuckled alongside him, "Though I probably would have met her anyway, she's joining the Student Council isn't she?"

"Most likely," Lelouch said while he took out a cellphone and dialed a number, the moment the person he was calling answered he said, "Millay you traitor I barely got out of there in one piece. So can I assume you've been roping Cecelia into the Student Council?...Yeah that's what I thought, you never waste a moment to get what you want do you?...Wait, Kallen Stadtfelt? I'm recruiting her tomorrow?...Urg, fine, but no guarantees, a lot happened yesterday that's generated a lot of work up at the government offices so I could be busy for a while. No you wouldn't have any idea what it was yet, an announcement will likely be made tonight….heh goodbye Millay, tell my sister I may be late tonight will you? Okay thanks." Lelouch said while hanging up, and chuckled again, "Well then, looks like you will be meeting her tomorrow. And before I forget, thanks for saving my hide Rivalz."

"No problem Lelouch. So mind giving me a hint about this big thing that's giving you a problem up at work?"

"Shinjuku Ghetto, my brother got overeager and starting a cleansing," Lelouch said, obvious distaste in his voice.

"Its still weird, hard to believe that you are the child prodigy, the Glorious Strategist of Britannia," Rivalz said, obviously being in on Lelouch's little secret, "But then again, I've seen you play chess and so it did become significantly more believable over time."

"Heh, I'm nothing special Rivalz, I just try harder than a lot of people. And I suppose because I'm successful as often as I am, I've gotten arrogant because of it," Lelouch answered simply while they pulled into the government headquarters, "Days like yesterday make me realize how good it is to know I do have some people I can count on to keep my secrets, to rely on when things seem at their worst."

"Lelouch, something bigger than Clovis getting overzealous happened, what…"

"He was killed, keep quiet about it, I know I don't have to say it but you need to keep quiet about it. Right now it's chaotic here because of all of this, watch yourself on the way home, the military is in an uproar because of this and that they aren't being told what happened. This is something that I have to cover up as best I can or Area Eleven may very well fall apart," Lelouch said getting out of the passenger car of the motorcycle, "Don't worry too much all right? Things are always darkest before the dawn afterall."

* * *

And I think I'll stop it here for now. This chapter was a good deal tougher to write than I thought it would be. I don't have much to say this time round, been busy with a bunch of new games I got for my birthday afterall so I'll go right into the questions…

1) Okay I thought I did pretty bad this chapter, I suck at light-hearted chapters. So did this chapter suck as much as I think it did?

2) What do you think of that little revelation of Rivalz being in on Lelouch being a prince? As for my reasoning for this, well thing about the relationship the two have in canon and the kind of people the two would meet on a regular basis due to their gambling.

That's all for now, I'm going to say this, next chapter is going to be interesting. Lelouch is going to get his Zero outfit, he's going to have his confrontation with Kallen, and a few surprises.

Now press that review button before Millay sets you up as the next target for one of her crazy events.

Ciao for now!

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	5. I am Zero

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, if I did R2 episode 7 would never have happened.

Not too much of a change in the stats from last chapter besides the review count so I'm not going to mention it this time. Well for those of you who care, I've decided that I'll start working on the next chapter in this fic whenever I get 10 reviews for the current newest chapter. Given I usually get that within a day or two so I'm probably going to be updating this fic fairly regularly. Some chapters like the last one will take more time just because I suck at light-hearted chapters but I know they're important to put in so I won't just totally skip them.

* * *

"Kallen Stadtfeld, birth name Karen Kozuki, officially adopted into the Stadtfeld family several years ago and made a full Britannian Citizen. Birth mother a servant to the Stadtfeld family," Lelouch said to himself, sitting in his office looking at a file laid out on his desk, "Records show that she was quite accomplished physically and mentally since early childhood, meaning she's putting on an act at school. Older brother died several years ago and was a confirmed terrorist. She has connections and apparent reasons to have been a terrorist." Lelouch flipped a page in the file finding several pictures of her, seeing one of her as a child he remarked, "She looks familiar for some reason…" and after a moment he blinked and added, "That's right, the day my plan worked and Japan was conquered…I see so that's how she knows who I am, she remembers me from that time."

"This is Jeremiah Gottwald! Acting Lieutenant Governor of Area Eleven. As some of you may have heard we here in the government were forced to hunt and cleanse the Shinjuku Ghetto to root out terrorists. And we found them, an unexpectedly well organized and armed group managed to destroy nearly a hundred Knightmares yesterday before we were able to subdue them. However I have sad news, Clovis La Britannia lost his life yesterday at the hands of a dirty traitor," an announcement came on a large screen TV in Lelouch's office as well as being broadcast all over the Britannian settlement.

"That…what does he think he's doing?" Lelouch said shooting up out of his chair and looking at the TV, which had the man sitting behind a desk as he made this announcement.

"This traitor, an honorary Britannian who was given the chance to live amongst us like a civilized human being has decided he would rather be a dirty eleven. Kururugi Suzaku, son of the late Prime Minister of Japan Kururugi Genbu took revenge for his father and his country by killing our beloved Clovis La Britannia and almost killed our beloved and kind Governor Lelouch Vi Britannia, the man who conquered Japan with as little bloodshed as possible…"

Lelouch was fuming shutting the TV off, "That…that, how dare he, Suzaku was no where near the mobile fortress. I saw who…Jeremiah Gottwald, leader of the Purists in Area Eleven…I see you're using this as a chance to promote your own goals…very well," Lelouch said with a smirk, "I'll play along, you've given it to me, the perfect chance." Lelouch turned a computer on and pulled up various records of the Shinjuku incident, and then dialed a number, "Lloyd Asplund correct?" Lelouch asked when his call was answered, "Good, I am Lelouch Vi Britannia. Yes you are quite correct, this is in regards to Gottwald's broadcast. I am calling to confirm, it was indeed Kururugi Suzaku in the White Frame during the Shinjuku Incident, this Lancelot? Yes I did figure as much, that you're testimony won't be heard. No I can't do anything thanks to this broadcast. If I were to interfere with it and broadcast a counter statement, trust in the government will go down and it'll become apparent that there is discord amongst the upper echelons, I can't afford that with Clovis dead now. However an execution order will need my permission to be carried out, Gottwald may be able to force the trial but he cannot perform an execution without my signature. I have every intention of having this covered up after the trial. Yes, I know who really did it, you'll have him back as soon as possible. You're welcome, I'll come down within the next few days to see the data you were able to get and to see your progress. Tell Schneizel our project is going quite well. Goodbye."

Lelouch sighed, putting the file he had on his desk away and then turned his computer off, preparing to leave when he got a phone call on his private phone, he took a look at it and then answered, "I'm sorry you found out this way Nunnally…I had planned on talking to you about it when I got home today, Jeremiah acted without permission. No of course Suzaku didn't do it, he wasn't even near either of us when it happened…Yes I plan on doing everything in my power to save Suzaku from this. Yes, I'm not sure if he still considers me a friend, but I still consider him a dear friend, I'm about to leave now, I'll see you when I get home." Lelouch hung up and then made his way out the building, a small smirk on his face as he did so, he had a plan of action ready for use. The trial would be in two days, which gave him plenty of time to get his act together. He got on a public train, deciding he'd rather go home in relative secrecy instead of by car today. Two things had to be accomplished, he'd have to get a helmet he ordered the previous day and he'd have to get a private meeting with Kallen. He came to his stop and got off, making his way towards his mansion, a small smirk on his face the entire time, and then he heard the sound of a gun being armed behind him.

"Lelouch Vi Britannia, that's your real name isn't it?" a voice behind him demanded as Lelouch walked along a long wall in a darker part of his neighborhood, Kallen's voice.

Lelouch turned around to look at the young woman, still in her school uniform and her hair styled down, and then said, "Kallen Stadtfeld wasn't it? No…Karen Kozuki is your actual name."

"Wha…how do you know that?" Kallen stuttered then shook herself out of her surprise and said, "No, of course you could find out…you…"

"Seven years ago, I kept you and your brother together. That's how you recognized me isn't it?" Lelouch asked, not even attempting to deny her conclusion.

"You…you remember that?"

"It was a vague memory earlier today. I decided to look you up because I thought you were familiar, I remembered after that," Lelouch answered, "Q-1."

"Q-1, that one you? You were the…"

"Indeed, just because you're actively fighting Britannian injustice doesn't mean you're the only one whose doing so," Lelouch said, crossing his arms, "I may be the Governor, but my power is still rather limited in what I can do. Small acts of evening the odds are all I can manage with my position."

"You conquered Japan, why would you do so if you don't believe in…" Kallen accused, regaining some resolve that she was losing.

"I did so because I had to prove my worth. Even if I hadn't, my father would have just gave the job to someone who would not have been so nice about it. I ensured that the bloodshed would be kept to a minimum possible. It was the best I could do for the Japanese at the time,"

"Why should I believe…" Kallen began to ask, getting cut off immediately by Lelouch.

"Kururugi Suzaku is innocent, he's being used as a Scapegoat by the purist faction. They want to get rid of the Honorary Britannian System I put in place here, if Suzaku is convicted of regicide things will get much worse for the Japanese. I want to save him, but I can't do it as Lelouch Vi Britannia let alone Lelouch Lamperouge," Lelouch stated.

"You…you're asking for my help?" Kallen asked, taken back by what she was hearing.

"Indeed. Karen Kozuki, truth be told, I rather like the Japanese people, and I've done a great many things to make things better for them under Britannian Rule. Almost all pro-Japanese legislation started with myself," Lelouch said and then with a slightly larger smirk he added, "I have a plan to both improve the condition of the Japanese to being almost first class citizens if not full fledged first-class citizens and put me into position to take the Imperial Throne so I can spread such ideas to the empire as a whole."

"So that's what this is all about. You want…"

"Of course I want it, anybody who has a chance at ascending to the throne of the strongest superpower would want it. However, would you rather have someone like me, who abhors taking advantage of the weak, or would you rather have someone like Clovis who would order a genocide just to cover his own hide?" Lelouch asked, "I'll put a stop to Terrorist activity here in Japan, but I don't plan on using the same method as my family approves of."

"Why should I help you then?" Kallen asked, slowly lowering her gun, "What possible reason would the strong…"

"You haven't met my little sister have you? A sweet girl, a few years younger than myself. She lost her ability to walk and saw our mother killed right before her eyes who shielded her from a terrorist attack with her own body. It happened right before my eyes as well, I was merely lucky enough to not be in the line of fire," Lelouch said walking forward slightly, "A sister I love dearly. She suffered so much and yet she's still so positive, so happy. I want to make a world where someone like her won't be taken advantage of, won't be looked down upon. My father doesn't want that kind of world. If I hadn't taken his challenge, to take Japan, we would likely have been cast aside like dirty rags by that man. You think you have cause to hate him, you haven't walked a mile in my shoes, who has experienced his twisted ideology firsthand."

"Fine, I'll trust you, for now," Kallen said, completely lowering her gun, "What do you have in mind?"

Lelouch smiled and said, "Just keep my true identity a secret and go to the Tokyo Tower tomorrow at around five pm, bring some of you allies as well. Just tell them that the voice managed to contact you and wishes to discuss something with your group." Lelouch then uncrossed his arms and prepared to leave, "You won't regret this deal. It would be nice if Japan could regain it's freedom or some level of independence, but it isn't possible right now."

"…Right now?" Kallen asked, Lelouch chuckling in response like Kallen caught onto something he wasn't coming out and saying.

"I'll see you tomorrow, I do hope you can convince them to trust that faceless voice tomorrow," Lelouch said, turning around and walked back home.

The next day, at about five thirty pm, Kallen led three other Japanese down towards the front car of a train, where Lelouch was waiting clad in a black outfit, and wearing a black hawk-like domed helmet covering his entire head. Just as the Train passed into a tunnel, Lelouch turned around to give the terrorists before him a good look at their mysterious savior of the Shinjuku incident, "More than I expected to come," he said as he fanned his cape out, "I am Zero."

"So you're the one who helped us yesterday…" a tall man with an old poofy kind of haircut began to speak before Lelouch interrupted.

"Indeed I am, tell me something, what is it that you hope to achieve through your actions?" Lelouch asked.

"Independence for Japan of course," a shorter blue haired man responded.

"How? Your actions have been nothing but childish tantrums as far as Britannia is concerned. Terrorism gets nothing accomplished," Lelouch said, "You want independence? Then its war, your enemy is not the Britannian people, it's Britannia itself."

"War…against Britannia? Are you serious? That's…" the third man began to speak.

"The Execution of Kururugi Suzaku, if I free him, if I perform that miracle, will you believe that I can do it? That with me, defeating Britannia is possible?" Lelouch asked, a smirk spreading across his face behind the mask as the three men stood in shock, "I'll show it to you, my power, my ability, that should prove it to you, that I'll make it possible."

"You could…you could actually do it?" the biggest man asked, the apparent leader, "We'll need some time to think about it, can we meet…"

"Tomorrow, at the junkyard near the Shibuya and Minato Ghetto, any who have the courage to stand beside me come, and we'll free that man and show that Britannia isn't absolute," Lelouch said, inwardly amused at the irony of the situation, "Your stop is next," he said as he walked forward and through them, into the next train car full of people, all with a barely noticeable red ring around their irises, "I look forward to a favorable answer." With that Lelouch vanished into the next car, as the train came to a stop, the people in the car forming a shield about himself as he exited the car, removing his helmet and cape before he was noticed as being unusual. He made his way to a bathroom to change into his civilian clothes, which he had picked up from the crowded car in a large bag. This had turned out to be a favorable outcome so far, Kallen had kept quiet about his identity and he would probably get at least two of them to join him, all he would need to carry out his plan of action.

Everything fell into place, the next day Lelouch had received the two people he needed, the leader of the terrorists and Kallen herself. And they put his plan into action, they made a replica of Clovis' private vehicle and got a hold of a civilian frame. Lelouch had ordered Kallen to drive the replica right in front of the escort parade of Suzaku, with himself standing inside an empty cavity of what would be a private cabin were they driving the real thing. Lelouch took out a lighter after he heard the sounds of Knightmares landing about him and Jeremiah Gottwald getting cocky about his victory. Lelouch dropping the lighter on the paper wall in front of him and let it go up in flames, surprising a very large crowd of Britannian Citizens and the Britannian solders. Lelouch stood out in his Zero outfit, the black hawk appearance it gave made him look menacing. "I am Zero," he declared loudly as an unusually well dressed cameraman ran up to get a closer picture, "Release your scapegoat, Kururugi Suzaku."

"Scapegoat? What do you know? This man committed regicide, the highest crime that can be committed, especially by some dirty eleven," Jeremiah spat out looking down on Lelouch from his Knightmare.

"Oh? I don't remember Kururugi being there when I pulled out that gun, and shot Clovis," Lelouch said casually, prompting exclamations of what from Jeremiah and the other knights, "That's right," Lelouch said as he turned his head towards the camera, "I killed Clovis La Britannia!"

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And I'll cut it off here for this chapter. Really this would have been the most evil cliffhanger ever for the show itself to have done besides that big one they left us with in episode 25. Well then, I'll go straight to this chapter's questions now.

1) This chapter came a lot more naturally than the last one, but I'm not too sure if that whole scene with Kallen is entirely believable. I think I did a pretty good job, but what about you?

2) I'm going to be introducing a few characters next chapter. I could be introducing Cornelia and Euphemia like the show does, or I could be introducing someone entirely different. I'm kinda curious as to what you think I'm going to do, I'm planning on introducing at least three characters in the next two chapters from the show, take a guess as to who. (I may use your idea if I think it's a good one though, and I will give credit where credit is due)

3) Well now I have Kallen knowing exactly who Lelouch is, how big a change do you think that is or will change the story?

And that's all, now press that review button or Lelouch is going to start looking up your personal information.

Ciao for now.

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	6. The Who Knows What Game

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, if I did a certain someone would show up much earlier, yeah you'll know who by the end of the chapter.

96 reviews (chapter review average went down, I'm sad now), 5509 hits (427 for the last chapter), 7 c2, 54 favs, and 63 alerts for this fic now.

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"You…but, that's impossible!" Jeremiah, stuttered, Lelouch smiled behind his mask, Jeremiah knew the truth.

"Jeremiah Gottwald, I personally shot you down in the Shinjuku Ghetto, I know very well you weren't anywhere near Clovis when I killed him," Lelouch said pointing at him to emphasize the point. "Release Kururugi Suzaku," Lelouch repeated himself while snapping his fingers, the large block behind him breaking apart revealing a capsule, the capsule everybody in the military would think was filled with a poisonous gas.

Apparently taking everybody watching the parade hostage, at least to the eyes of those who had no idea what it was actually filled with.

"What…how did you get a hold of…" Jeremiah stuttered out, Lelouch glancing down to see Kallen who he had told to drive this replica car straight down, seeing her shaking in fear at the moment, like he had just put them before their executioner.

Lelouch tapped his foot, a sign for her to drive closer, "It's not a bad deal, an innocent man for this thing. You are after all fully aware of what this thing is."

"But, I can't let…" Jeremiah said, obviously having trouble making a decision right now.

"Why not? I have no interest in remaining quiet, this will hardly be your last chance Orange," Lelouch said as a shutter in his mask opened up quickly revealing his left eye as he activated his power, his Geass, "Let us go with all your strength."

The shutter closed immediately after his Geass fully activated, Jeremiah faltered for a second and then sighed and said, "Ah, very well, release him!"

Lelouch hopped down from the car as he walked forward, Suzaku being released to his care with Kallen joining them seconds later, Lelouch looked at the collar around Suzaku's neck and chuckled, "I see, afraid you'll talk are they, well I do believe it is time to make a rather hasty retreat." With the Lelouch pushed a button on a remote trigger, the capsule suddenly expelling a mass of pink gas that quickly provided a thick smoke screen. Lelouch grabbed hold of Suzaku, he and Kallen then jumping off the bridge where a net waited below for them, which caught them and deposited them in a train car, the net breaking as the train began moving. It quickly became apparent they completely escaped, Lelouch walked over and removed the collar from Suzaku's neck.

The first thing out of Suzaku's mouth was, "I'm not going to join you, your rebellion won't ever work."

"Oh? So it's fine to let such a corrupt and evil nation as Britannia stay in power?" Lelouch countered.

"So what if it's corrupt? It can be changed, your actions, they endanger so many…" Suzaku began saying when Lelouch put his hand to his mask.

Removing his mask Lelouch said, "Good answer." Pulling down the high neck to his shirt that was covering the lower portion of his face Lelouch only smirked at Suzaku, "Good to know you would never consider terrorism."

"Le-Lelouch? But…you killed your own brother?" Suzaku asked, his eyes wide and his jaw loose.

"Of course not. Bartley Asprius did, and apparently Jeremiah knew that, he just didn't care. Deciding to use my attempts to cover it up to maintain civil order as a chance to eliminate the Honorary Britannian system," Lelouch said leaning against the wall of the train car they were in, looking at his mask, "This little show should be enough to clear your name."

"Show…and that gas?" Suzaku asked, disapproval in his voice.

"A harmless colored gas, I suppose if you breathed enough of it in you'd be coughing for a while but otherwise it wouldn't hurt anybody. Enough to send the military and the people there in a panic to make room for an escape," Lelouch said, seeing Suzaku's disapproval apparent he added, "Suzaku, this wasn't only to rescue you. This whole incident has given me the chance I needed to convince the terrorists in the area that Zero is their ally."

"Convince…why are you going to convince them of that?"

"To take them down, sure I could order the military to eradicate everybody in the ghettos, using barbaric tactics that my father would love if I employed. But it wouldn't take care of the problem itself, I need to learn whose funding them, where they're getting their weapons, and who their leaders are. I have to capture those things if I expect to stop the violence in Japan," Lelouch answered like it was the simplest thing in the world, "This show was important to that. Saving a friend was a greatly appreciated bonus."

Suzaku gave one short chuckle, "You haven't changed, you always hated losing pieces in Shogi, I suppose it's only natural it would extend to real life. You hate losing people," he then looked at Kallen, who was shading her face from him getting a good look at it and asked, "So who is she?"

Kallen was about to answer when Lelouch spoke up, "An accomplice in this matter. I'd prefer to keep her identity a secret, partially for her own protection."

"Is this Zero thing…"

"Big secret, highly confidential, and most importantly something that is highly dangerous to know about. Expect to see Zero on the battlefield, Lancelot," Lelouch said, getting a surprised snort out of Suzaku, "I do my homework you know. I need you to keep this a secret from anybody who asks, just say you know nothing of importance. And seriously attempt to capture me if you end up on the battlefield against me."

"All one big charade, how did you get a terrorist to agree to help this suicidal plan of yours?" Suzaku asked, figuring out what Kallen really was.

"You've gotten a lot sharper over the years. It's simple, the end result of my plan is to have the Japanese elevated to first class citizens, no different legally or socially than those born to the blood and nationality of Britannian. If anybody can do it, I can," Lelouch said with a low chuckle, "The elimination of the terrorists in Japan and the restoration of the Japanese people to a place of honor. Two things I've pursued as Governor for a long time, and thanks to the Shinjuku incident I finally have the things I need to accomplish that."

"I see. So what do you want me to do?" Suzaku asked Lelouch who only waggled his finger at his friend.

"Nothing, unlike me, you're far too pure-hearted for this kind of thing. Trusting you with this secret is about as much as I can ask of someone like you," Lelouch said, the train coming to a stop, "Ah good, that would be my stop, Suzaku, you have the next stop, its near the courthouse, I expect you plan on going to your trial anyway," then looking at Kallen he said, "And you of course know the rules and when your stop is."

An hour later, Lelouch was walking inside the government headquarters, having switched his Zero outfit for a more royal garb somewhere along the way. A satisfied smirk on his face, everything had worked out so well so far, then he felt an arm drape around his shoulders, a black gloved hand dangling off the opposite shoulder, "Hello, you must be Lelouch Vi Britannia the Governor. I'm Gino Weinberg the…"

Lelouch chuckled, "The Knight of Three, I'd bid you welcome but I'm afraid of the results of turning my head about now."

The man that was hanging off Lelouch, someone a bit taller than himself, laughed at that as he let go, standing in front of Lelouch, wearing a white jacket and pants with black boots and a long green cape with the symbol of Britannia all over it, "Sorry about that, I didn't think of the consequences there," the man, Gino, said holding his hand out in greeting.

Lelouch shook his hand and asked, "So what brings out the famous Knight of Three to my humble area?"

"Mostly to check up on yours and Schneizel's seventh generation project and to offer my assistance in getting rid of the terrorists in the area. With Clovis' death your father expressed concern over this area's instability," Gino answered with a smile, "Can't blame you myself, I think you've done an absolutely incredible job given your circumstances. Having to play political and power games with the Chinese Union, fighting off terrorists, managing the Sakuradite production, and keeping your identity hidden."

"So you're here as my Lieutenant Governor now?"

"Nope, I'm here to replace Bartley for the time being, your Lieutenant Governor is waiting up in the garden for you. Speaking of which where were you? I was looking all over," Gino asked, not even a hint of formality in his voice or rather lax posture, it absolutely amazed Lelouch someone like this was able to attain the third highest military position a normal Britannian could ever hope to attain.

"I was planning on speaking at Kururugi Suzaku's trial, but with him getting kidnapped by that masked guy, well it was going to be a surprise to most people so I didn't exactly have a car to take me back here," Lelouch said, feigning embarrassment while the two of them began walking towards the nearest elevator to go to the roof.

"Speaking of which, one of the reports I got stated he was the pilot of the seventh gen prototype during that…Senguku?" Gino asked, obviously having read the report pretty well but didn't know how to say some of the names on it.

"Shinjuku Incident, yeah he was. It was decided that he was going to be used as a scapegoat for Clovis' murder by the purist faction. Jeremiah the leader of that faction went over my head before I could finish the cover story for what happened myself. This, Zero figure has provided a rather convenient situation for us. The perfect cover story and Kururugi Suzaku is set free because a real culprit has been found. Though I must admit, it is rather vexing he's claiming to be the culprit, and I can't contradict him without blowing the value of the cover story. I wanted to say it was an EU assassin."

"Certainly would have been good propaganda for us," Gino admitted, the two of them getting on an elevator and heading up at that moment.

"Amazing, Kururugi Suzaku has just appeared at the courthouse, despite being captured by the masked man Zero, he has appeared to face trial! But the results of the trial are no longer certain as they once were, with this new evidence of the real killer, this young man may see a complete acquittal," a voice announced over a speaker system in the elevator.

"You seem happy," Gino commented looking at Lelouch.

"Kururugi Suzaku is a good friend of mine from when I was playing the hostage prior to the invasion of Area Eleven. I have reason to be happy," Lelouch said, "This proves he has no terrorist ties."

They quickly reached the roof, Gino leading the way out and Lelouch close behind. A few moments after Lelouch left the elevator and out into the garden itself, two long pale arms wrapped themselves about his neck from behind and strange of bright pink hair flew up from the corners of his eyes as a sweet voice exclaimed, "Lelouch-niisan!"

* * *

And I think I'll end it here for now. Short chapter I know, but that is too perfect a place to stop at for me to not stop here. For those of you who couldn't tell, yes that's Euphemia, so those of you who guessed I was going to just go with the show and introduce Euphemia and Cornelia next, well you were half right. Those of you who guess I wouldn't have Cornelia show up because she wouldn't accept a position like Lieutenant Governor, I completely agreed with that assessment. Now then, onto the questions for this chapter:

1) How much do you think Suzaku's roll in the story will change based on what I've done so far?

2) The first significant change has occurred in the story, Cornelia did not show up, but someone who is potentially scarier did. So with this in mind, can you guess where any of the smaller changes I did earlier are going to lead?

3) From the reviews and posts in my forum here, I gather a lot of my readers are Euphemia fans (this chaotic lunatic is confused by you people), so which character were you happier to see show up? Euphemia or Gino?

And that's all the questions, now press that review button before Euphemia glomps you from…wait you people would like that wouldn't you?

Ciao for now!

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	7. Pieces and Colors

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass, if I did we wouldn't have the horrendously bad sounding C-Two in the Dub. It sounds fine in Japanese but it sounds horrible in English.

Well then, lets see the current stats for this fic: 119 reviews, 7384 hits (625 last chapter), 7 C2s, 65 favs, and 71 alerts. Umm, wow, this fic really surpassed my expectations on how popular it would be.

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Lelouch almost fell forwards on his face, but managed to catch himself as he felt the weight of the person who had just practically tackled him from behind rest on him, it took all of one second for Lelouch to realize who it was. "Euphemia, well now that's a surprise," Lelouch said chuckling as he was let go so he could face his half-sister.

"When I heard that you wanted to continue using the governor and lieutenant governor system I volunteered instantly," the woman before him, Euphemia Li Britannia, said.

"I'm surprised Cornelia let you, it really is pretty dangerous here in Area Eleven," Lelouch chuckled and then asked, "So how is she doing? Still working on making a beachhead on the EU's African territories?"

"Yes, it's apparently not going well, even with Schneizel-niisama drawing attention away from it with his own attempts to make one on the European front," Euphemia answered before quickly adding, "But Cornelia herself is doing very well, she's only a little frustrated with how long it's taking."

"That's good to hear," Lelouch said turning his attention back to Gino who was casually sneaking off, "Well then, Knight of Three Gino Weinberg. How about you tell me the real reason you're here before you decide to sneak off? Something like merely inspecting the Seventh Generation project is something that could have been done by a lower ranked Knight of Rounds than yourself."

"Well if you must know, three candidates for the Knights of Rounds are being transferred here to be evaluated for the position. That would be my real objective, the Emperor instructed me to seek your opinion on the candidates if you figured out that the Seventh Generation project wasn't the real objective," Gino said looking over his shoulder, "Mind if I hijack a briefing room for that?"

"Be my guest," Lelouch said, Gino walking off after that point, Lelouch turned back to Euphemia and said to her while offering his arm, "Come, you must be tired from the long trip, I wouldn't be a very good brother or governor if I didn't give you proper accommodations."

"All right," Euphemia said, hooking her arm into his, the two of them walking off inside the palace on the roof, "So, how's Nunnally?"

An hour later, Lelouch sat down in a briefing room with a large projector screen, Gino putting the finishing touches to a slideshow he had, "Okay, we're about ready here," Gino said as he flipped the lights off and turned the projector on and the picture of a fairly young woman with short blonde hair appeared, "Mary Sherrie, age twenty four, rank Lieutenant. An excellent pilot, she prefers to use the Sutherland Model with a long barreled basic rifle, a marksman in or out of a Knightmare. She follows orders well and has a promising career regardless of whether she is accepted or not. If she isn't promoted to a Rounds she'll likely end up as a Knight to one of your brothers or sisters, though that can be said for all three of them." Gino then flipped through a few slides, showing various decorations and pictures of that particular candidate. "Next up is Earl Hunter L. Leveque, age twenty six, rank Major, he himself isn't being transferred here as he was all ready stationed here in Area Eleven," the next slide showing a strict looking man with short brown hair, "Follows orders to the letter and takes an extremist position in a lot of cases. But his skill with the Gloucester unit is commendable, as is his ability to operate in close quarters combat exceptionally well, but his weakness is with rifles."

" Two good candidates so far," Lelouch commented as Gino went through several more slides depicting this man's decorations and abilities, as well as his lineage due to his stance as a noble.

"The final candidate is Anya Earlstreim, age thirteen, rank warrant officer," Gino said as a young girl with pinned up pink hair was displayed.

"So young, and she's a candidate for the Rounds?" Lelouch asked surprised at the final candidate.

"Ha, you're one to talk your highness, Mr. 'I stared the emperor down and conquered a nation when I was ten,'" Gino laughed before continuing with his introduction, "Despite her young age she's quite skilled, her biggest weakness is that she relies on her knightmare more than her own abilities, as such she uses a heavy-artillery Gloucester type. She has a rather low key personality and can be overzealous in her application of orders, but she gets the job done."

"In the long-run she could be the best choice. Her weaknesses could very well disappear with experience in life and in combat," Lelouch commented, with Gino nodding his approval.

"That's exactly what I was thinking,"

"In other words the only real candidate is this Anya Earlstreim, the other two are her trial by fire, she has to prove she's worthy of a position in the Rounds," Lelouch summarized while bridging his fingers, "While both the other two candidates would be useful, they don't bring anything unique to the Knights of the Round while this Anya has unique traits that would make her useful in combat."

"You catch on far too quickly," Gino sighed, "You take all the fun out of the reveal in case you supported one of the other two."

"Ahh, too bad she's being considered for the Rounds, I'd consider making her one of my Knights," Lelouch commented rather blatantly. Gino then gave Lelouch a look, a strangely suspicious look, which Lelouch didn't like one tiny little bit, "What?"

"Lolicon," Gino accused simply and on his way out he said with a playful smile, "I'll be trying to draw this Zero out in a day or two, I'll be borrowing about sixty Knightmares and about a hundred tanks and helicopters, and then about three hundred normal solders."

The moment Gino left, Lelouch rather speechless, "Did I just get accused of being a Lolicon?" he asked nobody in particular rather dumbly.

Lelouch made his way home soon afterwards, it being rather late all ready and he would have to go to school the next day, considering he had skipped the last couple of days preparing for his big debut as Zero. When he got home he spent some time talking with Nunnally about the trial Suzaku was currently undergoing, assuring her there was no way he'd be convicted of anything now before putting her to bed because she had to get up earlier than him. Walking out to one of the balconies he leaned on the railing and waited for no more than thirty seconds before he heard that same nagging superior voice he was slowly getting used to, C.C.'s voice, "So that was what you were doing the past few days."

"Indeed, and I've gained another useful piece," Lelouch said as he removed a rook from a coat pocket and tossed it to C.C., a white rook with a black band around it's head, "Kururugi Suzaku, straight forward and predictable, but a powerful piece when used correctly. Often the rook is the piece that grants victory in the endgame, either from your opponent misusing their rook or using your own rook correctly. However this Rook will move according to my wishes."

C.C. walked up next to him and placed the rook down on the railing, and then placed a black queen down alongside it, "Two pieces, one for your opponent and one for you," C.C. stated, "If that girl is the Queen and the boy is the enemy rook, what am I?"

Lelouch smirked and then took out a grey queen with a black band at its base, "An unknown queen that has allied herself with me." Lelouch then took out another white rook and a white bishop and placed them alongside the other white rook, these without any black on them at all, "My Father has all ready moved two pieces onto the board and is preparing to gain another one," Lelouch said as he placed a clear rook on the railing, "A piece that is up for grabs. I think I'll take it before he can."

"I've got plenty of time, my father obviously suspects I was involved but he has no proof thus he's going to move many valuable pieces near me to coerce me into making a rash move," Lelouch said while collecting the pieces back up.

"How many chess sets do you have?" C.C. asked, Lelouch chuckling at the question the moment she finished.

"Probably about three I actually use, I receive them occasionally as part of a bribe, considering it's a well known fact I'm an avid player," Lelouch answered casually before adding, "Nobles aren't exactly very creative. Well then, seeing as how I've missed school the past couple of days, has anything interesting happened?"

"Not particularly, that blonde, Millay I think, has proven to be rather crazy in the past few days," C.C. commented twirling a piece of her hair absently, "She's been trying to get information about me for the past several days, especially about the engraving on my forehead."

"Ah, the same symbol as the one that appears when I use my Geass isn't it? What did you tell her?"

"That it was a family symbol from my mother's side, that it was a tradition to get it tattooed on our body somewhere, I simply chose my head,"

"Not too far from the truth?" Lelouch asked, carefully watching C.C. for her reaction.

"A bit I suppose, it won't help you if you're trying to find more information on myself," C.C. answered while walking back inside.

Lelouch stayed outside, looking up at the night sky, he decided to take out his cellphone and then typed in a number, the number to a cellphone listed under Kallen's file he had looked out a few days ago. "This is Lelouch Lamperouge. Kallen Stadtfeld I was wondering if you had joined any clubs at school yet, I promised the student council president I'd try to get you to join us…Indeed, that is one reason I'd like you to join…"

The next day after classes had ended, Lelouch was escorting Kallen to the Student Council building, which was causing quite a stir amongst the student body, in a low whisper Kallen said, "You didn't have to escort me, this is embarrassing."

"Hardly anything compared to what I had to do last night," Lelouch countered while still walking alongside her.

"Oh and what did you do last night?" Kallen asked all too sweetly.

"Nothing much, just a speech in front of a very hostile crowd," Lelouch answered vaguely just as they reached the Student Council building, Lelouch opening the door for her, acting the part of a perfect gentleman.

"Lelouch! You remembered to bring her!" Millay exclaimed happily running down the stairs of the main hall, and right up to Kallen, "Hello, I'm Millay Ashford, president of the Student Council. Did Lelouch get you to agree to join?"

"Ah…yes," Kallen said, shooting Lelouch a quicky 'what did you get me into' look before getting dragged off as Rivalz was setting up food on the multiple tables set up, a welcome party for Kallen.

Lelouch walked up to Rivalz and said, "The past few days have been really hectic, sorry I didn't get in contact."

"Nah, no problem. And that Cecelia, her personality is like a female you. Is she really related to you?" Rivalz asked, making sure no one was close enough to hear them, "So what happened?"

"No she isn't really, it's a long story," Lelouch answered as he leaned in to whisper to Rivalz, "This is confidential for now, Gino Weinberg the Knight of Three has come to act as the high commander of the Military and is testing a Rounds candidate here. I want you to keep your ears open for anything you hear about Mary Sherrie, Anya Earlstreim, and Earl Hunter L. Leveque. Ages twenty four, thirteen, and twenty six in that order. I have their ranks, decorations, and service history as well I want the information that doesn't go on the record if you can get it."

"Thirteen? She's the real candidate isn't she?" Rivalz asked, his voice almost high enough for someone else to hear.

"Indeed, but I want information on the other two as well. You should hear plenty given your part-time job as a bartender. Something's fishy about this, so keep you wits about you and don't do anything out of the ordinary," Lelouch informed Rivalz, "I may not be able to bail you out if you get in over your head. This is a tricky situation even with my position."

Rivalz smiled and slapped Lelouch's back, "Who do you think I am? I can keep a secret and play it cool, I'm a bartender after all, we hear all sorts of secrets."

"Hope to hear some good news then," Lelouch said, the two of them joining the celebration soon afterwards.

* * *

And that's where I'll end things for this chapter. Bit of a slow chapter overall, but the next chapter should be interesting, why yes you all should have an idea of what's going to happen next, the question is, how is Lelouch being a Prince going to change that? And what Curve-ball am I going to throw? I'll give you a clue, chances are, you are not going to see it coming. It's something I've been waiting to write for a while now, where the plot goes into second gear. And hopefully I'll get to it next chapter. So now to those questions most of you ignore…

1) Why don't you take a guess what the curveball I'm going to throw is going to be next chapter? No I'm not talking literally.

2) What did you think of the whole chess piece scene?

And that's all, now press that review button before Rivalz starts prying into your personal life.

Ciao for now.

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	8. Rei

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass, if I did a certain character would have stayed around longer

Okay folks, apparently Earlsteim is the wrong last name for Anya, you know what? I'm keeping it Earlstreim, so don't bother telling me it's wrong, I'm rolling with the mistake.

Current Stats: 137 reviews, 8948 hits (522 for last chapter), 7 c2s, 71 favs, and 79 alerts. This is officially the most popular fic I have.

* * *

Lelouch was sitting in class, looking out the window, barely paying attention to the teacher as usual, and he didn't really need to considering it was a class on Britannian Government. "Good afternoon, I'll be joining your class as of today," Lelouch heard a familiar voice, which snapped his attention to the front of the class, it was Suzaku, "I am Kururugi Suzaku, please take good care of me."

About a million things went through Lelouch's head, amongst which was who put this paperwork into circulation. He smirked and said under his breath, "Euphemia, there isn't anybody else with the authority to do this. Or would." Class went by without much incident, besides the occasional whisper questioning Suzaku intentions and innocence, given he was only recently cleared of any involvement in Clovis' assassination. When class ended Lelouch walked towards the door and tugged on his collar, making sure Suzaku was watching. He began walking up to the roof, C.C. joining him rather quickly on the way up.

"An unexpected development?" C.C. asked with a slight smile.

"A bit, but nothing that will prove troublesome," Lelouch answered and added, "I'm meeting him now, I'd like to distance him from any notion that you know anything particularly important so if you don't mind I want this to be private."

"Not a problem, considering I don't know anything about your plans anyway," C.C. said, heading off to the Student Council room.

Lelouch reached the roof and walked to the railing to look out, about twenty seconds later Suzaku opened the door leading out onto the roof and joined him, "It's been seven years since I last saw you do that, I almost thought I was seeing things," Suzaku mused.

Lelouch turned around and chuckled, "Why change a good signal? Euphemia's doing?" he asked pointing at the school uniform Suzaku was wearing.

"Wha…you are well informed," Suzaku laughed and then confirmed, "Yes, she said I'm seventeen, I should be in school. We met yesterday…I swear I didn't…"

"I know, she was like me, keeping her real identity a secret so she could attend school like a normal teenager. She probably introduced herself as Euphie," Lelouch guessed, and by Suzaku's expression he was right on the mark, "I met with her the day before yesterday, she had just got there and wanted to see me. I'm not so well informed as you think, I was surprised by her showing up, I just was surprised a couple days earlier than you thought."

"So, do I call you Lelouch or do you…" Suzaku began to ask when Lelouch cut him off.

"Lelouch Lamperouge, Duke and domestic advisor to Lelouch Vi Britannia, I was born a month later than Lelouch Vi Britannia and was named after him. I'm the head of the Lamperouge family since mine and Nunnally's parents died. The public at large has no idea that a Nunnally Vi Britannia exists," Lelouch informed Suzaku, "We have a cousin living with us now by the name of Cecelia Lamperouge, the green haired girl you saw earlier in class."

"Who is she really?" Suzaku asked walking next to Lelouch.

"Someone under my protection, she's not dangerous to me or Nunnally but she knows some state secrets that could be dangerous if she were captured by terrorists. Safest place for her is by my side," Lelouch answered almost immediately, "Gino Weinberg, the Knight of Three, is the current high military commander, he'll be holding a military exercise designed to drag Zero out."

"Are you…" Suzaku was going to ask but…

"Of course not, I'm not fool enough to make such a bad choice as that," Lelouch stated simply, "But he may make use of you and the Lancelot, he wants to see the Seventh Generation in action. I'll be observing the exercise so I'll be able to quell the more extreme passions he could have."

"Thanks for the warning, this could be," Suzaku began to say, his mood visibly worsening.

"You'll have to join a club," Lelouch said, snapping Suzaku out of the depressed mood he was heading towards, "Joining this school means having to join a club. Want to see if I can get you into the Student Council?"

"The Student Council, isn't that a club for the most popular and…"

"Indeed, if the Student Council President doesn't mind it should make the transition easier for you. Knowing Millay…oh speak of the devil," Lelouch said seeing the blonde student council president come running out onto the roof, "President, what can I do for you?"

"So the rumor I heard was right," Millay breathed out, slightly out of breath as she straightened up, "The two of you were talking up here. Hello I'm Millay Ashford, Student Council President."

"Ah, hello, I'm Kururugi Suzaku, please take good care of me," Suzaku said giving a polite bow, an obvious carry over from his upbringing.

"No need to be so formal, so Lelouch, planning on recruiting him too?" Millay asked, "Well, approved, the more the merrier."

"And that takes care of that problem. Thanks Millay, he's an old friend," Lelouch said with a smile.

Later that day, Lelouch was sitting in his office wearing traditional heavy royal clothes and a mask hiding the upper portion of his face, looking at video feeds showing one of the many ghettos outside the Britannian settlement, watching Gino lead a purging of terrorists through them. "Gino, make sure the solders are careful of noncombatants. Hitting them will only lead to making more terrorists," Lelouch cautioned when things started seeming to get out of hand.

Gino sighed and said, "I suppose you're right. You know these people better than I do," Gino said, and then he suddenly lost three Knightmares, "What?"

"Sir, we have a report, a White Sutherland with purple highlights has shown up. The knights can't get a lock on it, it keeps weaving in and out of sight…it just took out five more!" one of the tacticians in the room with Gino yelled, Lelouch's attention fully grabbed as he attempted to shift between the different video feeds to get a look at this Knightmare.

"Sir! This guy's reflexes are inhumanely fast, it's like he knows what I'm going to do," one of the knights reported in, "Crap, how can someone be this fast?...Shit, Sherrie, Earlstreim, and Leveque were just taken out."

"That's it, make fun of Britannia will he? I'm heading out," Gino said preparing to leave the command center when Lelouch transmitted his own message.

"Hold a second Knight of Three, why not send out the Special Dispatch?" Lelouch suggested, a smirk on his face, "If this person is this good it would be a perfect chance to test the seventh generation knightmare."

Gino stood there in front of one of the cameras for a second and then answered, "We both go. You heard the Governor! Send a message to the Special Dispatch to prepare to launch!"

A few minutes later, the Lancelot launched from it's special trailer, Lelouch receiving video feeds from its onboard cameras, and then another screen went online as a white, blue, and gold Glasgow launched from the mobile command fortress. "Listen up Kururugi," Gino broadcasted, "Follow my lead here, we're taking on this White Sutherland as a team, he's good but between my skill and that seventh gen frame of yours he doesn't stand a chance."

"Yes sir!" Suzaku broadcasted back as the White Sutherland appeared in both their line of sight.

Suzaku brought out two ruby red swords, the MVS swords, designed to be able to cut anything. Gino readied his Glasgow's rifle, the two of them immediately taking up flanking positions around the white Sutherland. When they charged they almost ended up running into each other, the White Sutherland falling through the floor into an old railway tunnel, shooting up at the two of them, getting Gino's rifle and clipping Suzaku's Lancelot at the shoulder. "Interesting," Lelouch said at that exchange, "He made use of the environment brilliantly and was able to hit both a Knight of Rounds and Suzaku. What's next now?"

"Kururugi! Hand one of those MVS over here, we'll take him on in melee. He shouldn't be able to dodge both of us," Gino ordered, discarding his rifle and taking one of the Lancelot's MVS swords, "I'll take the tunnel, follow from above and prepare to drop."

Gino dropped down into the tunnel and shot off after the white Sutherland, Suzaku following directly above him. It didn't take Gino long to find it, in fact, it was waiting for him, closing the distance between the two of them instantly, firing a slash harken at his right leg, taking it out as he used the Sutherland's rifle to take out Gino's sword arm, "Very good," Lelouch commented watching the almost instantaneous take down of a Knight of Rounds, "No way is this Toudou or anybody else well known here in Japan. This is the level of the Knight of One. Who the hell is this?"

The White Sutherland burst from the ground, right behind Suzaku, who shot out of the way just as he was fired on with both Slash Harken and his rifle. Suzaku closed the distance and slashed at the White Sutherland, which used its Slash Harken to boost itself out of the way by aiming them at the ground in front of it, and at the exact same time shot Suzaku's landspinners, disabling the Lancelot for the most part. The White Sutherland quickly put distance between himself and the Lancelot, and then the cockpit opened. "No way…"

"What? Lelouch growled, standing up in his seat looking at the screen before him in his office. It was a White Zero, "A White Zero…Who is that?"

A voice was broadcasted as the White Zero clapped his hands enthusiastically, "Congratulations, that was quite good for Britannians. You may call me Rei," the White Zero said, quickly ducking back into the Sutherland and blasting off.

Lelouch sat back down and chuckled, "Well then, looks like things are going to get interesting. Zero and a White Zero, this Rei," he commented on the general channel, "Lets hope they don't team up. Well, Gino, how would you rate this guy?"

Gino sighed in resignation and said, "He's as good as Bismarck, things are going to be a lot tougher than I thought it would be. That speed and reaction time is insane…Oy Kururugi, you did well, you're better than I thought you'd be. Mind coming to pick me up? That guy managed to get an arm and a leg on me."

"I'd advise a tactical retreat here, it's possible the only reason he left was to refuel. It'd be better if you leave before he decides to come back and finish the job," Lelouch said, visibly excited at this development.

"Sire, you seem happy," one of the tacticians in the command room said.

"Oh I am, it's been a long time since I had to go all out against someone, I look forward to bringing this guy down," Lelouch laughed out, "I'll show him why I've put the fear of Britannia into the Chinese Federation, why I've held this country for eight years, and why the EU won't dare come near this area when they attack from the Russian Front." Lelouch then turned the screens off and his camera off, walking out of his office, his smirk staying on his face, he couldn't hide his excitement if he tried right now.

"Lelouch!" he heard a voice call out behind him, Euphemia was running towards him as he turned around, she saw his face and commented, "You look happy, did something good happen?"

"A real opponent has finally appeared, obviously someone who is important to terrorist activities, I've finally found one of my targets," Lelouch said, and seeing Euphemia's worried face he added, "Relax, there weren't any casualties unless you count property damage to military equipment. This guy beat Gino and Suzaku, both in their specialized Knightmares and he did it brilliantly. This guy is really good. If I can take him out I may break the backbone of the rebellion here in Japan."

"What about that Zero?" Euphemia asked, "He may not have actually killed Clovis, but everything else that happened during the Shinjuku incident was his fault wasn't it?"

"Zero has few resources and few strong allies, he's a minor nuisance with a lot of brains. I can take care of him the next time he shows up. Compared to this new Zero, this White Zero who calls himself Rei, the original is not a threat to me."

* * *

And that's where I'll end things this chapter. The first real obstacle in Lelouch's plans has shown up, that was the curveball I bet nobody saw coming, a White Zero. I've been waiting to introduce this guy for about five chapters since I though him up. Now for those lovely questions of mine…

1) This White Zero, do you think he's an original character behind that mask or someone from canon? If the latter who? (If enough people guess correctly I'll admit it next chapter)

2) I'm going to introduce an original Geass sometime in the next few chapters, take a guess as to what. I'll give you a clue, it was used in this chapter, but not necessarily on screen.

And that's all, now press that review button or the White Zero is going to come and kick your butt.

Ciao for now!

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	9. The Knights

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, if I did Suzaku wouldn't be such a mook

Hmmm, well what do you know, I wasn't the first to go with the idea of Lelouch staying a Prince. I do certainly update a hell of a lot faster though, I outta read it to see why it's got a higher review per chapter average than me. On that note, last chapter made me happy people, highest review count for any single chapter out of all the chapters so far.

Stats: 167 reviews (29 last chapter, I like that number), 10428 hits (528 hits last chapter), 8 c2s, 78 favs, and 86 alerts. Damn, if those last two go over a hundred my jaw is going to drop.

* * *

Lelouch was sitting in a fancy looking large van, hidden deep below the settlement on its lower levels. A nice plush couch and a large flat screen TV on the wall to his left. He was wearing his Zero outfit, waiting for Kallen to bring the terrorist group he had worked with in Shinjuku. He had gotten everything together for the event he was planning, the perfect introduction to his group, uniforms, equipment, everything he would need to stage his little rebellion. The door opened and in came a the large man with the old style haircut, the one from the last time he had called them, soon followed by several others and Kallen herself, "Wow," he commented looking around as he walked in, and looked at Lelouch and said, "So…um Zero, you're willing to work with us?"

"Ah, indeed, but we won't be undergoing terroristic activities, this will be all out war," Lelouch said, "Agreed?"

"I was hesitant before, but after the Orange Incident, well I've been convinced. How did you get this all?" the man asked, and then realized, "Ah, I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself, I'm Kaname Ogi."

A blue haired woman spoke up next, "I'm Inoue, nice to meet you."

A man with brown hair and glasses spoke next, "Yoshitaka Minami, good to meet you."

A man with dark green hair spoke after him, "Kento Sugiyama, please take good care of me."

"Name's Shinichiro Tamaki," a reddish brown haired man with a rough appearance spoke next.

"Yoshida, good to have you on our side," a dark brown haired man spoke up next.

"And I'm Kozuki Karen," Kallen said ending all the introductions.

"Well then, now that is out of the way, I'll answer the question, I asked a rather generous noble for it," Lelouch answered Ogi's earlier question.

"Asked for it, that easily?" Tamaki said, somewhat stupefied.

Minami turned the TV on with a remote control and a report on something happening at the Sakuradite conference at one of the most popular hotels in Japan was on, a tall tower built into a large lake, "And apparently they haven't made any particular demands yet, other than for Japan to be recognized again. They've taken about two hundred hostages…"

Lelouch's attention was brought to the screen, an image of three people who were very familiar to him, the student council minus Rivalz, Suzaku, and C.C. Then for a brief second, he saw a disguised Euphemia there as well, it was obvious she hadn't been discovered yet. "The Student Council…" Kallen said, having seen them too.

"Zero, what should we do?" Ogi asked looking at Lelouch, the report continuing, "This is big."

"Indeed, it is, they've taken hostages who have nothing to do with Japan's current state, and they are threatening to kill them. This is hardly something we can simply standby and do nothing on," Lelouch said as he stood up, "I propose we redirect this foolhardy attempt if possible, if not we must stop them. We cannot make ourselves the enemy of every Britannian, we need only make ourselves the enemy of Britannia."

"But its just a bunch of Britannians, why should we…" Tamaki began to protest, and Lelouch immediately countered.

"To the Britannians those in the Ghettos are just a bunch of Elevens," Lelouch stated, "Do you really want to put yourself on their level?"

"Ah, but…" Tamaki began to protest when Ogi chuckled.

"He's right, they may be comrades but they are doing something bad," Ogi stated, "I'm for it, we need to go there and talk them out of this. Plus they need to be rescued, they're in a coffin buried under ground now, if we don't do anything…"

"Quite perceptive," Lelouch said, "But I would say that was their intention. They want to die there declaring Japan is still here."

"Zero? What do you mean?" Ogi asked while everyone else was at a lost for words.

"While it is true that the less entrances there are, the easier it is to defend, but its also the last stand, you either break through or you die. And they don't have any intention of breaking through the army. They didn't bring the kind of equipment for that," Lelouch said, watching the screen, "Hmmm, risky but I know how we can get in and get out without any trouble."

At the lake, Kururugi Suzaku was sitting on the shore with his superiors in the special dispatch, the primary designer of the Lancelot Lloyd Asplund and his assistant Cecile Croomy. "Ara, ara, this is so boring," Lloyd complained, skipping a rock along the water, "I wish we'd just get the order to go in."

"There are civilians in there, we can't go rashly in. Knight of Three Weinberg is probably having a hard time figuring out how to save them," Cecile answered, Lloyd only sighing while skipping another rock.

"You're right, I talked to everybody else so I figure I'd get your opinion now," Gino said, appearing practically out of nowhere behind the three, Suzaku shooting up on his feet in a salute, "Relax man, I'm not a stickler for all that military formality."

"Ah, as you wish sir," Suzaku said dropping his salute, his personal space suddenly very violated by Gino getting in close to get a good look at Suzaku.

"Good eyes, good piloting skill too, too bad he'd never appoint you, you'd make a good Knight of Rounds," Gino said backing up, "So any ideas on how to break through? The main bridge isn't an option, they'd see us and probably carry out on a threat to kill the hostages. There's one underground path we could take but it's apparently guarded by one hell of an anti-knightmare weapon. I couldn't get by it with my Glasgow, let alone would a massive Sutherland or Gloucester get through."

"Ah but that's where the Lancelot excels, speed," Lloyd volunteered, not yet getting up from his resting place but looking at Gino over his shoulder, "The Lancelot with Suzaku as its pilot could get through that."

"That much confidence in your hardware and his ability?" Gino asked, he then smirked and said to the three of them, "All right, prepare for a sortie, I still want to find a less risky way, losing the Lancelot would be a serious blow in our ability here to resolve this situation. I may not have you launch but be ready if I decide we need to launch you."

Far off in the distance, the White Zero, the one who called himself Rei, was standing on a cliffside looking at the lake, at his side were two other people. One was a man with blonde hair wearing a leather jacket, a slightly low cut leather vest, black pants, and a pair of thick opaque sunglasses over his eyes. The other was a woman wearing a more concealing brown leather vest and black pants, small red triangles peeking out from her vest sleeves, her long purple hair tied back in a ponytail. "I don't see why you won't let me go break the siege," the White Zero complained, the man chuckling at the man's apparent frustration, "Or why you won't let me go closer."

"The reason is simple, we want the first Zero to make an appearance, we want to see what he does before we decide how to move. You reading his mind would make certainly clear things up, but you talk too much, Mao," the woman scolded as Rei shrugged his shoulders, "You aren't even that good of a pilot without Vain boosting you."

"And I won't be boosting you unless G.G. tells me to," the man added with an arrogant smirk, "If you want this C.C. of yours, we're going to have to play things smart. If she's in the care of Lelouch Vi Britannia like you said we can't be too careful. That's not the sort of guy you just waltz up to, especially if he was given a Power of the King as well. First we need to take care of Gino Weinberg, and that new machine of theirs."

"Zero's made his move," the woman, G.G. commented looking out as a small van pulled up right smack dab in the middle of the army, "I'll give him that, he's certainly an audacious person. With himself completely exposed with nothing more than a News Van to stand on. Almost like he views himself as invincible."

"Would that be so unusually?" the man, Vain, asked with a chuckle, walking over to and leaning up against a tree, "You, C.C., and that Britannian one V.V. whose to say you are the only ones who can grant power. Zero could have grasped his own. Neither of the other two are aware of your existence right?"

"Indeed, they would be surprised to learn of me," G.G. answered, Zero having entered the hotel, unprovoked by the Britannian Army, "I suppose it is a distinct possibility.

"Bah, get me within five hundred meters and I'll discover the truth of the matter," Mao grumbled.

"Your power doesn't turn off like mine Mao, we need to get Zero in a secluded area or an are with few people. You'd hear many thoughts and would likely not be able to confirm it was Zero's thoughts you concentrate on," Vain stated as he removed his sunglasses, his eyes beginning to glow with the same symbol Lelouch had in his left eye, except he had it in both, "Your ability is certainly powerful, making you ideal for Knightmare combat. That's why I taught you the basics, and that's why I boost your ability. Your ability to recognize what someone is going to do faster than they can start doing it makes you ideal for combat in general."

"Yeah, yeah, as long as I get C.C. I'll follow your orders," Mao grumbled looking back out on the lake, just as the Hotel suddenly started to topple from multiple small explosions, "What?"

"Oh, a suicide?" G.G. asked looking out on the scene.

"No, an effective diversion," Vain immediately answered, standing back up straight to look at it, "Zero is better than I thought."

"People!" Zero's voice called out on a loudspeaker as a boat slowly floated out from the wreckage, transmitting his image throughout Japan on every Television tuned in, "Fear us or seek us. We are, the Black Knights! For too long have the strong persecuted the weak. The Japan Liberation Front, they captured innocent Britannian Citizens, executed some and threatened to do so with the rest. The former vice-governor Clovis La Britannia did the same, ordering the murder of countless Japanese. I cannot ignore such abuse, such atrocity. It is for that reason I punished them. I do not wish to fight, but I will not stand by any longer as the strong abuse their power! Only those willing to be shot may they themselves shoot, that is my logic. When the powerful abuse the weak, we shall be there. Whether it be Japanese, Britannian, Chinese, European, the Governor of Area Eleven, of Japan, or even the Emperor of Britannian itself. Ye who has power, fear me. Ye without power, seek me. We, the Black Knights, shall judge the world!"

"The Black Knights, he just declared war on the world," G.G. commented, a smirk on her face, "Not bad, and he came out looking like the hero."

"Indeed, he makes our success against the Britannian Army look like nothing, within twenty minutes, he overshadowed weeks of preparation and planning," Vain commented, crossing his arms. They may be scared of Mao's ability to fight, but Zero has just done what all the fighting in the world could never do, he has begun to move the hearts of the people. How much is not certain yet. Should we join them?"

"No, none of us have any vested interest in Japan," G.G. sighed, turning around, bored of this fiasco.

Several hours later, Lelouch had removed his Zero outfit, had parted ways with his new Black Knights, and was in civilian clothes, walking back home, taking a longer more scenic route than usual. "Lelouch," he heard Kallen's voice say from behind him.

Lelouch chuckled and turned around to look at her, she having also changed into civilian clothing, "I take the scenic route and I still end up running into someone I know," he mused, and then asked, "You want something?"

"How much of that, did you mean earlier?" Kallen asked, not looking him in the eye.

"The speech?" Lelouch asked, Kallen nodding a yes, "Well besides the part relating to myself, pretty much all of it."

Kallen looked at him now after he finished his sentence, "All of it?"

"Yeah, more or less, a word here and there I would have liked to change, but yes all of it," Lelouch answered her, his arms remaining uncrossed, "I said this before, I don't approve of my father and I'm willing to do what it takes to change things. The method you were using never stood a chance."

"But with you, things will change?" Kallen asked, looking at Lelouch, the fact that this was the man who conquered Japan with almost no bloodshed seeming to finally sink in, "You can do it?"

"Indeed I can. I can stop the violence, my path will be more violent, but it will end in peace, it will end in a kinder world," Lelouch said with a great deal of conviction, "Will you help me?"

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter. I really had a writer's block on this one, so I finally broke down and switched the point of view a few times. To those of you who guessed Mao last chapter, well you were right, but no one who tackled the second question was even close to what it was, remember I did say it could have also been used off screen. And don't complain about the name G.G. it was the best I could come up with that even somewhat matched her. Don't expect me to do that too often now. Well then, on to those questions I love asking so much…

1) Okay, I gave a clue what the original Geass is, that it "boosts." So lets see if someone can figure out what it really does with that clue, the dialogue in this chapter, and the events of last chapter. What is Vain's Geass?

2) To some this one will be obvious, what do you think Kallen is going to say when she answers Lelouch's question in the next chapter?

And that's all. Now press that review button before Lelouch drops a building on you.

Ciao for now!

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	10. Choice

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, if I did we'd also have a Pear-kun. Why a pear? Because "Why not?"

Stats: 183 reviews (16 last chapter), 11761 hits (506 last chapter), 8 c2s, 79 favs, and 92 alerts.

* * *

Kallen looked at Lelouch before answering him, "Can I have some time to think about it, I don't know if I…"

"Can trust a Prince of Britannia yet?" Lelouch finished her sentence, "Or is it me in particular you don't know if you can trust yet?"

"Ah, uh…both of them," Kallen said looking away again.

"Take your time, I'm a patient person, as long as you don't tell the Black Knights my identity you have all the time you need," Lelouch said and with a smirk he added, "In fact I'll insist on it. The next few weeks should be fairly rewarding for you."

"What do you mean?" Kallen asked, Lelouch chuckling in response.

"You'll see,"

Lelouch spent the next day in relative silence, listening to the gossip concerning Zero and the Black Knights big debut, and about the White Zero Rei. Some thought that Rei was the bigger threat because he was a powerful military force capable of beating the Knight of Three, Lelouch laughed inwardly at that. Gino was probably working up a furor trying to find out how that leaked out on the internet. There were others who said Zero was the threat, having completely out maneuvered Gino and the entire army, while doing their job no less. Some said they liked what Zero represented, a champion of justice, and that he would make Britannia better by giving it a well deserved kick in the ass. Others said Rei was the more important change in Area Eleven, because he would force technology to develop faster to improve the military so that he could be taken down. Lelouch smiled and would not take a side anytime he was asked, stating that Rei was the bigger threat on his own, but Zero was the more dangerous opponent. And that if the two of them teamed up that the Empire would be in trouble. All part of the plan to him, he wanted to lure this Rei out in the open to meet with him when he donned the Zero Mask, and then he'd use his Geass on the man.

For two weeks he went about this triple life of Governor, carefree student, and rebel leader. Carefully planning each and every step of the way. Gino was being given the runabout thanks to Rei, who constantly interfered with his military exercises and missions. Euphemia was doing a splendid job of keeping up the Empire's public face in light of "Zero's attempts" to take the empire down a peg, with a little coaching from Lelouch every now and then. However the people had all ready began talking, wanting Lelouch Vi Britannia to take the field for the first time in seven years and defeat Rei for the Empire, saying that the man who could conquer Japan should easily be able to kill one man that the Knight of Three couldn't.

As Zero, Lelouch had spent the weeks raiding the facilities of pushers of the drug Refrain, a drug designed to make one remember the good old days like they were happening right in front of them. He also spent a good deal of time rooting out corrupt government employees stealing relief money for Japanese Citizens and money that was supposed to go to various pro-Japanese government projects. And being very public about those activities, clearly spreading information about the problems the Black Knights were solving. While this put him in a clear bind as Lelouch Vi Britannia, it was going exactly as planned. Zero had a shield of public support, and applications to the Black Knights were slowly filing in, people wanting to join in and help.

However one night was slightly different than what they had grown used to. "Karen, is the Glasgow ready to charge in?" Lelouch asked, watching a warehouse, hiding in the shadows in his Zero outfit. The fact he was wearing it only helped him hide considering it was a mostly black outfit. After receiving his answer Lelouch said, "Good, charge in." Kallen's red Glasgow flew into his view and through the front doors of the warehouse, the rest of the assembled Black Knights following close behind, setting up defensive positions inside the warehouse while Kallen broke through their target's defenses. Lelouch made his way inside as well, taking out a small pistol to help eliminate the threats inside. Everything was going well until Lelouch heard something very familiar, a heavy sound of a Knighmare running from the distance, "Knight Police! Take cover!" Lelouch yelled out quickly taking a new position behind a pillar in the warehouse as a large white and black Glasgow with heavier armor than usual stormed through the opening Kallen had made earlier and shot through after her, laying down suppressive fire on the Black Knights with a Knightmare sized pistol. The resulting combat only lasted a couple of minutes between Kallen and the Knight Police, ending with her Red Glasgow totally damaged and the Knight Police pilot dead, crushed in his own cockpit. Lelouch gritted his teeth behind his mask, there shouldn't have been any Knight Police active in the area, he arranged for the patrols to not be close enough to notice this commotion. Someone had interfered with his perfect plan. He criticized himself for being so careless to allow something like this happen, and then saw something, an older Japanese woman, well into her forties sitting down on the ground, clearly having been injected with Refrain. Then he recognized her, he saw her picture in Kallen's file, it was her mother. "I see…" Lelouch said sadly, the Black Knights nearby taking a look at him wondering what he realized, "We need to leave, someone retrieve Karen."

The night had been a complete and utter failure in his book, Lelouch was making his way home in the settlement proper when he received a call, "Hello?" he asked, "Ah Gino, what can I do for you?" Lelouch waited a second before making his way towards a place a bit more private, "Narita…so you're finally ready to admit I need to take over? Very well. Rei is likely to interfere, no Zero will likely appear there as well, something this big, this hopeless? This is the kind of stage Zero is likely waiting for. I'll defeat them both. I'll show these rebels why I'm considered the third great strategist of the empire…but I'll have to finally enter center stage won't I?" Lelouch sighed, while this was something he did indeed want, he was also going to drag Nunnally into the spotlight. He had hoped to let her live a normal life a little bit longer, "Heh, you do pay attention. Gather the Knight candidates, get in touch with the Special Dispatch and have Lloyd Asplund and Kururugi Suzaku join us, we're going to come up with a strategy. No, we'll do it tomorrow, it's late and we'll need to be at our best to come up with something that will beat both Zero."

Lelouch hung up and began making his way back home, he then got the funniest feeling like he was about to meet someone he knows. And right on cue Kallen appeared in front of him for once, Lelouch chuckled slightly, "What's so funny!?" Kallen almost screamed out, the events of earlier still fresh in her mind.

"I'm sorry, I just had the oddest feeling you'd show up right now. It felt like my life was suddenly the plot to some poorly written story," Lelouch said composing himself, "The next mission has all ready been decided, Narita is going to be attacked, and I have to lead it."

"What…but then how…" Kallen said, "No, why?"

"Narita is the home base of the Japanese Liberation Army," Lelouch answered simply, "With luck I can convince a certain someone to lead the Black Knights as a replacement for myself."

"So you're going to crush everything now," Kallen said, somewhat sadly.

"No, Zero will continue on, as will the more troublesome parts of the resistance. I plan on taking down Rei if he appears, he is an unknown and chaotic element in this plan," Lelouch stated and with a sigh said, taking a casual look around to make sure no one was listening, "Well my life is going to get simpler soon, thanks to the recent developments I'm going to have to publicly become Lelouch Vi Britannia."

"Lelouch, can you do anything for…"

"Your mother? I could pardon it, but it would look suspicious for me to do so, if I had a reason I could justify it with I would do so," Lelouch stated simply.

"Like me cooperating with you fully?" Kallen said, disheartened.

"No, if you were to become my Royal Knight, Karen Kozuki, that would be all the reason I need," Lelouch stated simply, "But it is true that would require your cooperation."

"What…a Royal Knight?" Kallen asked, astonished Lelouch would even propose such a thing, and use her Japanese name to do it.

"Indeed, I've been thinking about giving you the position since Shinjuku, but for now, it's not possible to do it publicly yet," Lelouch said, "Really I would have liked to not have mentioned it at all until much later."

"That's been part of your plan?"

"Yes, imagine what would happen if suddenly if a citizen of Japanese descent was suddenly revealed to have been a major player in the defeat of terrorism in Japan, and was then appointed as a Royal Knight for outstanding service and skill as a solder. Imagine what that alone would do for the position of the Japanese in Britannian Society," Lelouch stated, crossing his arms and smirking and then raised one finger from his crossed hands while he added, "And that is but one part of my overall plan. So let me ask you again, Karen Kozuki, will you help me?"

"…Yes, your Highness,"

* * *

And I'll end it there. I planned on making this chapter longer, but I liked this stopping place too much, and you know what? This is the fourth update this week so you can deal with a shorter chapter than usual. Not my best chapter but it is important set-up for the chapters to come. What's going to happen next? Well obviously the Narita battle is coming up very soon, and I may be introducing a certain other character more than a few people have been clamoring for. Now for those lovely little questions of mine…

1) This is a question I'm kinda curious about. How do you think Kallen said that "Yes, your Highness?"

2) Do you love that plot twist with Kallen, or hate it? I'm honestly expecting some rather outspoken yelling of "What the hell?" from that twist so I'm making it an official question.

3) How sincere do you think Kallen is about helping Lelouch? In other words, do you think she's playing him for a fool to use him or do you think she's genuine about helping?

And that's all those questions, now before I end the authors note I've got a deal for you people, mostly because I want to see if I can get it to actually work. I've got 92 Story Alerts for this fic right now, meaning 92 people get emails about when this story is updated, if 60 of you review next chapter I'll do a double length chapter next (Around 4500 words) and will at the very least start the Narita battle. And if all 92 of you review, I'll give Euphemia or Nunnally (whoever ya'll want more) a decent chunk of "screen" time next chapter. But obvious copy-paste reviews won't count. And in the even more extremely unlikely circumstance I get 100 or more reviews, well I'll do a triple length chapter. Do I think any of that will happen? Not a chance but I'm putting the offer out there for you people since you have complained about length and certain characters not getting any screen time. Hell I might make the double length thing a standing offer if it actually works.

Now press that review button before Gino decides you're the one leaking information.

Ciao for now!

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	11. Lelouch Vi Britannia

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass, if I did we'd have had the Guren smack the Lancelot a good one before the fight ended the first time.

Oh and if you're curious about how I personally envisioned Kallen's "Yes your highness" from the last chapter. I personally saw it as more of a shocked, amazed, and "He's on my side?" sort of thing.

Stats: 208 reviews (24 reviews last chapter), 12843 hits (438 hits last chapter), 8 c2s, 82 favs, and 95 alerts. Um wow, that's almost a 100 now.

* * *

The next day, Lelouch skipped school and had gone to his office in the government headquarters. In a very good mood, everything was going according to his plans again, no things were progressing faster that he had anticipated. Kallen was now officially with him, and he had his replacement Zero in place for this battle. Before him on his desk was a picture of the Narita region, centered on a large mountain believed to be where the Japan Liberation Army had it's main base. To the right of that was a proposed plan of action from Gino. Lelouch had read it over, it was a complete entrapment and obliteration plan. Crush the enemy between the ranks, under normal circumstances it would work wonderfully, but against his plan for the Black Knights to execute, the fact that the battlefield was a mountain, the possibility of Rei appearing, and in general unexpected surprises such as the recently acquired Guren Nishiki for the Black Knights. That machine was a beast, he had taken a look at the specs and designs for it when the manual was sent alongside it. It was a match for the Lancelot, he had set it up for his replacement to give it to Kallen when they meet. He shook his head, no, that machine could defeat the Lancelot in its current state. And with Kallen piloting it, unless something unfortunate happened the Lancelot would be destroyed in this upcoming battle. Lelouch smiled, "No, the Lancelot would be better in the reserve guard," he said as he placed a yellow marker on the map next to where the marker for the mobile fortress was.

"Working hard I see," Gino commented, walking into the room and looked down on the map, "Eh? You're not taking my ideas at all?"

"No, your plan would theoretically work. But we have two unknown elements in this plan, Zero and Rei. If either of them shows up your plan would be rendered useless. Rei makes conventional tactics useless thanks to him being able to completely overwhelm multiple squadrons on his own, Zero is the type to only go in if he has a plan. Our numbers would be meaningless to him, he'll do something to even the odds completely. And then there is Toudou, he is guaranteed to be there. All three make all normal plans pointless," Lelouch said while examining the map further, "This mountain...it has likely been turned into a fortress. There are no obvious signs of a base here but all information points to this being their main base correct?"

"Yeah, I see where you're going with that, so how do we deal with it?"

"Simply, we locate their base before we send the main force in. Separate the main force into four battalions, set one up at each corner," Lelouch said as he began to place blue markers on the map, "Send in about a quarter of the force in organized squadrons to hunt out the enemy base," he said placing groups of five blue markers on the map where the mountain was. Then he placed white markers further out in the city and surrounding mountains, "We'll have observation teams this far out, they'll be able to see Rei, Zero, enemy units in general, and any avalanches that will hinder the mission."

"Avalanches?" Gino asked, "The mountain is fairly sturdy, that isn't too…"

"Man-made avalanches. If I were them I'd be prepared to drop a mountain on top of my enemy. It's the one thing that's effective regardless of what we throw at them. The solders will need a standing order to be wary of that and be prepared to eject on a moment's notice. For this reason, the field hospital will also need to be further away from the mountain, as will any ground support troops."

"But this is the…"

"Do not underestimate them, you must always assume your enemy is as smart as yourself. Figure out what you would be prepared for in a given situation, then figure out how you would defeat it," Lelouch stated, "And make sure you can switch strategies if it turns out your opponent can be defeated with something simpler."

"Surprisingly simple philosophy coming from someone heralded as one of the greatest strategists in Britannia," Gino commented, under whelmed by Lelouch's statement.

"It's easy to be so when you tend to be smarter than most people. By automatically putting everybody at my level I devise strategies to effectively beat myself and then I devise ones to beat weaker people," Lelouch stated, "Its given me a very good assessment of my own weaknesses."

Gino looked at the table, seeing three round markers yet to be placed on the map somewhere, "Still haven't decided where myself and the candidates are to go?" Gino asked with a smirk.

"I know what I want you to do, but I haven't found the best place to place you yet," Lelouch conceded, "I may place each of you between the battalions."

"Heh, well at any rate, it's about time for you to make your grand appearance," Gino informed Lelouch, who sighed as he got up.

"Place guards in the room, I don't want to risk these plans getting leaked," Lelouch said, grabbing onto a heavy royal coat and put it on, "This is going to make moving around so much more difficult."

"The coat?" Gino asked as two guards entered the room, while the two of them left.

"No, having to reveal myself," Lelouch answered, letting Gino lead the way towards a large meeting room, through a door hidden behind large curtains.

"Lieutenant Governor Euphemia Li Britannia, what about the reports of Rei that have spread across the internet, they say he has all ready defeated the Britannian army multiple times," a reporter asked from out of Lelouch's view as both he and Gino entered the room, but were hidden behind the curtains from the reporters that had gathered.

Euphemia looked over towards them and relief suddenly washed over her face when she saw Lelouch, who put a finger to his lips to indicate she should be quiet about this for now. Gino walked out onto the stage, much to the disappointment of the reporters in the room, "Well I feel the love in this room," Gino commented while Euphemia left the podium she was standing behind, and then to the general press' great surprise Gino didn't take her place.

Gino stood there silently, the press falling silent as they heard Lelouch start walking, heavy set boots making rather noticeable noise with each step. When he came into view, absolute silence washed over the room, camera's trained on him as he slowly but confidently walked up to the podium. He faced the gathered reporters and said in a clear and concise voice, "Greetings, my fellow Britannians, and all citizens of Area Eleven. I am Lelouch Vi Britannia, Eleventh Prince of the Empire, seventeenth in line to the throne, and Governor of Area Eleven." At that, the room went wild, questions being thrown left and right, arguments over who could speak and who would get the first answer, all of which was put a stop to when Lelouch said one word into his microphone, "Quiet." All of them obeying without hesitation, "Good, one question at a time, I don't feel like being bombarded with enough questions that I can't think straight."

"Your highness, could you answer this question, what are these reports about Rei beating…" a reporter began to ask.

"True, the White Zero Rei has indeed defeated the army on multiple occasions. I believe him to be a foreign agent sent here to Area Eleven to stir up trouble, possibly from China but more likely the EU. While our Knightmare frames are vastly superior to models from other countries it is not inconceivable for an expert pilot from another country to have infiltrated our borders. One man is far harder to track than an army," Lelouch answered without hesitation, he had expected that question.

"Why haven't you appeared in public for the past seven years?"

"Being faceless has its advantages, for the past seven years I've gained a great insight into the average Britannian, and it's allowed me to learn of a great many terrorist plots by merely walking around the settlement and eavesdropping, a great many I've managed to stop thanks to it," Lelouch answered, "As did it provide a shield to protect myself from terrorists, many feared striking at Clovis because of the response that would come from me, the one they knew nothing about and thus could not target."

"Then why have you made yourself known now?"

"I no longer have the luxury of being faceless. Rei and Zero have forced me to come out of hiding. Something I expect was a part of their plan all along," Lelouch stated simply.

"How have you been…"

"Simple, Rei has made a fool of the military and Zero has made a fool of the government. I can no longer stand by and let this continue, I'll show those bastards why I was the one entrusted to conquer Japan," Lelouch stated strongly.

"Such confidence, are you certain you can take them both?" another reporter asked, a blonde older man with a double-chin.

Lelouch recognized him, Diethard Reid, he had applied to the Black Knights, "Naturally, in fact I am willing to predict I'll be taking down Rei very soon." Lelouch then turned to one of the camera's and said, "Rei and Zero, I present this challenge to you. You should have all ready heard of that operation, come, prove you are more than a pair of braggarts if you dare. I eagerly await your appearance." And with that Lelouch turned and began walking out of the room, motioning for Gino and Euphemia to join him, amidst a great turmoil as the reporters attempted to get more information out of him, especially about the military operation he was going to undergo.

The moment they were out of the room and the doors were closed behind them Gino let out an exasperated sigh, "Geez, what were you doing? Letting on about that military operation at Narita?"

"I've placed three information leaks to the public. One about Honshu, one about Kyushu, and one about Hokkaido, each with various proposed targets. Narita is one of them, if Rei and Zero are as good as they certainly claim and act to be, then we'll see them in Narita. If not, then they'll be distracted by the false leads that we won't have to worry about them any further," Lelouch answered simply, surprising Gino, "Ah, Euphemia did you remember to let the mission to Hokkaido slip during all that?"

"Of course, you asked me personally to mention that like it was an accident," Euphemia said, "And I didn't mention anything about Narita like you said."

"What? You mean…" Gino said, slowly becoming aware of just how far Lelouch's plans had come in a single day.

"Indeed, a common person would assume Euphemia knows something, so information that she lets slip would be taken at face value. Euphemia has cultivated a slightly careless persona to the media industry, which further fools the average person," Lelouch stated simply, and then to Euphemia he added, "I'm really impressed you thought to do that. I wish I could use that excuse sometimes."

"Well with you being well known for being like Schneizel Onii-sama and Cornelia Onee-sama I figured someone more approachable and unthreatening would be a great asset to you," Euphemia said with a smile, "Plus it would make your policies of supporting integration of conquered people instead of differentiation more believable if someone like me was supporting you. You're really the model Britannian by father's standards."

"Urk, I feel dirty now," Lelouch commented with a displeased look on his face for a second, prompting a laugh from Euphemia, and a short chuckle from Gino.

"Looking at you two, it really is hard to remember that you're royalty," Gino commented, "It's nice, knowing that despite Britannia's stance of the strong prosper, that not everybody is dark and serious."

"Some of us took away the lesson to be kinder when we look at our father. Father is a powerful and decisive ruler, but he is a cruel man," Lelouch stated simply, "I shiver at the thought of who he chooses to be his successor."

"It surely will be you, Schneizel, or Cornelia, who else could it be?" Gino asked while crossing his arms, "Only you three have the strength needed to rule this empire afterall."

"It won't be me. I'm far too tolerant and open for his tastes. Cornelia is too dedicated to her sense of justice, she wouldn't do a great many things he would want her to do as Empress. Schneizel is however a possibility," Lelouch stated, "It is why I'm the Governor of Area Eleven. He acknowledges my ability, but he set me up to fail or to become more like him. Insufficient troops, insufficient funds, a dangerous position boxed in by the Ocean, China, and the EU, and with one of the most important war resources Sakuradite."

"Now that's enough of that, you two are going to be talking war all night, so for now you should just relax," Euphemia scolded both of them, "It's not good to always have war on your mind."

Lelouch chuckled at that, "Well I've been told to shut up and have fun for a bit, couldn't hurt."

"That's the spirit," Euphemia said walking ahead of them and turning around, "Lets go up to the villa and have a party, and invite the solders that are going to be in the Narita operation."

"Ah, good idea, Gino care to do the honors? I'm sure they could use a good moral boost after being beaten by Rei so many times," Lelouch said as Gino saluted.

"Aye-Aye Mon Capitan," he said with a devilsh grin before leaving to go and do so.

"Heh, amazing that Father actually appointed him to a Knight of Rounds," Lelouch laughed, he was starting to like Gino Weinberg, despite that he would be his enemy within a very short period of time.

"Gino's a great pilot," Euphemia said, "Father may not act like it, but he does agree with you on a few things. He really doesn't care about race, upbringing, original nationality or anything save for ability."

"Oh? Are you sure we're talking about the same man?" Lelouch asked, dumbfounded by Euphemia's statement.

"Oh we are Lelouch. When I asked to be appointed here he said 'That I should be wary of the Japanese.' He said that 'although many of them are nothing more than conquered dogs, there are many that would put most Britannians to shame,'" Euphemia said, raising a finger and quoting the Emperor.

"Okay now I know we're talking about the same man, that sounds like him all right," Lelouch stated grimly, "If it wasn't for his choice of diction I'd be forced to agree."

"Oh, we need to invite Nunnally as well, and that girl you've taken into your care, Cecelia," Euphemia said, Lelouch smiling at that.

"They are on their way, I sent the order to have them escorted here after school, which was about thirty minutes ago. They should have been able to get out of there before anybody found out who they really are," Lelouch chuckled, and with a sly look at Euphemia he added, "You really didn't think I would have forgotten that do you?"

"I suppose not. But back there, you were certain you could take down Rei, but why not Zero? Isn't Rei more dangerous?" Euphemia asked.

Lelouch took a look around him, seeing no one there Lelouch answered her question, "Zero is on my side, he's an agent I'm using to gather the terrorists of Japan in one place so I can make a mass arrest, while getting their supporters," Lelouch said with a smirk, "I also know for a fact that he'll be at Narita and that our side will experience few if any casualties because I know what he'll be doing."

"Wha…you mean," Euphemia said, startled at this revelation, "But…how are you…"

Lelouch put his finger to his lip and shushed her, "Don't worry about it. It's dangerous for me as well. But the less people who know about it the better so please keep it a secret. There's a chance this information could leak and all my hard work would be for nothing. It's the reason Zero was able to use the bluff that he killed Clovis, because I told him to use it and that I wouldn't disagree. It was the perfect way to get him into the terrorist's good graces."

Euphemia sighed and then laughed a little bit, "You really are amazing, how long till you can execute the last part of the plan?"

"A year or so, but if you mean eliminating the terrorist threat, probably a month or two," Lelouch said with a smile, "There is a lot I can do thanks to this Zero plan."

Euphemia smiled and said, "You realize this is a plan father would be ecstatic about you conceiving of don't you?"

"Oh I know, but he won't like where the plan is going after that," Lelouch said simply while they walked towards the elevator heading to the villa, "Its something he'll never expect from his black sheep son."

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter. A bit longer than usual but this chapter needed it. And now that makes the third person besides C.C. who knows about Lelouch's plans. In other news, I figured bribing ya'll wouldn't work, was worth a try though, well now none of you have any right to complain about the shortness of my chapters (Because I would have also accepted reviewing past chapters due to the fact I keep good track of my review count). Now back to the fic, I'm finally getting a chance to poke fun at Lelouch, I love when I get the chance to make fun of the main character.

And yes, I will actually show the party. Be prepared for some interesting interactions next chapter...damn it I'm going to have to use Nunnally more, I suck at writing her.

Now onto those lovely review questions…

1) Who do you think Lelouch is being the most honest with? Kallen, Suzaku, or Euphemia. I'll tell you this now, he isn't being completely honest with any of them.

2) So far, what has been your favorite line in this fic? Feel free to pick a line from a previous chapter, just name the chapter for me (Cause I certainly don't remember all the chapters by heart).

3) How many times on average do you read a chapter? I've gotten a huge hit count for my early chapters and I want to know how many of those are unique hits (or a good guess of how many are unique hits).

And that is all for that. Now press that review button before Euphemia scolds you.

Ciao for now.

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	12. Knights

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, if it I did we'd have had Mosaic Kakeru for the ending song for season 2 too.

Stats: 231 reviews (22 last chapter), 14567 hits (510 last chapter), 8 c2s, 83 favs, and 99 alerts…one off from a 100, damn.

Well if the data from last chapter is anything to go by, I get like 400 unique hits every chapter at least. That's a whole lot higher than I thought I got for this story.

* * *

"I am not my father, I am not one for long speeches so I'll make this short and sweet," Lelouch said, standing atop the central pedestal in the villa's garden, addressing the assembled solders, "We are all in need of some relaxation. Our next battle is in three days time, you all need to be in top shape for it, and I still have to find the perfect plan to keep you all safe. So for tonight, lets wash our worries away and just enjoy the present." Lelouch then raised a glass up in the air, everybody assembled doing the same, "All hail…" Lelouch began.

"Prince Lelouch!" a great majority of those assembled yelled out, the minority quickly joining them, leaving Lelouch rather startled as they downed their glasses.

"Well that was unexpected…" Lelouch said, a slight smirk.

"I don't see why," Gino commented from the side, "You're a long awaited hero. More than a few of the people here are from the original invasion. Your plan saved a great many lives, it took a little longer than it could have, but very little blood was spilled under your command. To date, you are the one and only person to have accomplished such a feat, the bloodless invasion." Gino then whistled out to get the assembled troops attention, "I've got a few words to say as well. I'm sure many of you have heard the rumors that the Emperor is preparing to name a new Knights of Rounds, well I'll admit it now. He is, the candidates are Anya Earlstreim, Mary Sherrie, and Earl Hunter L. Leveque. Many of you have heard about the White Zero, the one who calls himself Rei, the one who has defeated us many times…"

Lelouch chose that moment to interrupt him, "I will be taking personal command of those three in the battle should he show up, I want everybody else to avoid the Rei at all costs," Lelouch announced, "Rei is a high class warrior, who could very well be on the same level as the Knight of One. However, he is not invincible. You will have your chance at glory, Zero and the Black Knights are free game to any who encounter them. Now that we have that out of the way and have now condemned three people to be pestered for the rest of the night, lets get the party started."

"You're the one who'll be pestered the most!" someone yelled out from the crowd.

"Keep telling yourself that," Lelouch said as he removed his heavy jacket, revealing he was in a common military uniform, with which he added the hat as well, "I'll vanish into the crowd nothing flat. The Phantom Prince can never be caught."

"Hey that's playing dirty!" Gino laughed out as Lelouch smirked, every solder breaking into laughter out as well.

"Watch what you all say now, you never know when I'm listening and might decided to join the conversation," Lelouch warned with a smile, which only encouraged the solders to laugh more, and just as it reached the apex, Lelouch quickly and unnoticed slipped into the crowd.

When they quieted down, they noticed Lelouch had all ready made good on his declaration of vanishing, leaving Gino out in the open, prime for pestering. Lelouch quickly made his way to the outskirts of the crowd as they broke up into larger groups, "Small wonder you're called the Glorious Strategist back home," a young woman, in her early twenties, and with short blonde hair said holding a hand out to Lelouch, "Mary Sherrie, pleasure to meet you your highness."

"You certainly earned your candidacy," Lelouch said while shaking her hand, "I figured it'd take twenty minutes before someone figured out where I was."

"Well I technically lucked out. Hunter and I narrowed it down to a few places, I just guessed here and he took one of the other places," Mary said sheepishly.

"Luck is also an important trait," Lelouch said with a smirk, "Being lucky and being unlucky can mean the difference between your cockpit being shot and barely missing you or getting hit."

"I suppose that's true, I do have a question though, why are you taking command…"

"This Rei is most certainly a better pilot than anybody we have. So the only option is to outsmart him. I probably wouldn't last three seconds against him in actual combat, but if it comes down to which of us is smarter, I'm willing to bet I can take him down," Lelouch said, crossing his arms, "Plus with me, if he can't see me, he can't predict what I'm going to have you do next. This Rei is no Zero, so among other things we have to make sure those two don't join forces. Now enough of that, this is a party."

"I know, but I'm not really worried about dying, like a lot of them are,"

"Heh, we're all in positions where we can die any day. Many of those here would die on the battlefield, with me now exposed I could die at any time, this party is to boost moral after a great many defeats," Lelouch stated, "Though I'm starting to think my appearance was all they needed."

"That wouldn't be too far off," a strict looking man with short brown hair said while walking up, "Guess I was wrong about where you'd end up. Hunter L. Leveque, a pleasure to be in your service your highness."

"Well, its starting to look like I'm going to have to vanish again, it looks like the others are starting to catch on here," Lelouch said looking at the crowd, "A pleasure to meet you both, but if I stick around I'm never going to get away." Lelouch walked back just as the solders figured out who he was and started making their way towards him, he turned a corner and waited one second before turning back while looking behind him saying "Wait…was that the Prince?" which sent the solders running around the corner, supposedly after him.

While Lelouch walked back up to Mary and Hunter, they both chuckled, "That was sneaky."

"Never say something isn't worth doing if it works," Lelouch said as he walked past, "I'll see you two either later tonight or tomorrow night in the mission briefing." He made his way back through the crowd, making his way towards another hiding place, this time near the fairly vacant central pedestal, where he could get a good look around the garden. He could see Gino swamped with admirers and fans of his, and Gino was living it up. The limelight seemed to suit the man. He could see Euphemia sitting at a table with several of the female solders, a considerable smaller group than was following Gino and even smaller compared to the group trying to figure out where he went. He smirked, it had become a party game now, trying to find him. He could see Nunnally and C.C. being talked to by a sizeable crowd as well, C.C. with a large pizza out in front of her that she was eating. Then the Rounds candidates being stalked by their own little clubs…then it hit Lelouch, he couldn't see the last candidate anywhere. Then the sound of a small electronic device sounded from behind him and to the right, looking in the direction, there she was, the last candidate and the one really being reviewed, Anya Earlstreim, holding a small camera phone. "I really need to learn how to hide better," Lelouch commented in a deadpan.

"Picture taken, good day," Anya said in a monotone, giving Lelouch a small bow before walking away.

Lelouch looked at her as she walked off for a moment, "Well, that was odd."

Later that night, Lelouch had briefed everybody on what their positions would be in the battle of Narita. He had called Suzaku and Lloyd in and told them they'd act as reinforcements, relying on the Lancelot's incredible speed and power to quickly reinforce any of the four battalions should they run into Rei. In the meantime he was to act as a rear-guard in case Rei decided to attack the mobile command fortress. Mary, Hunter, and Anya had been given the job of leading scouting divisions until Rei showed up. Gino was given the duty of field commander, to use his military experience to quickly react to changing conditions while Lelouch came up with new plans to use during battle. He returned home, the security having been beefed up thanks to his announcement, walking inside Nunnally was waiting for him in the main hall, "Welcome home onii-sama," Nunnally said happily hearing his footsteps.

"Good to be back, did you enjoy the party?" Lelouch asked.

"Yes, it was nice talking to so many people, everybody was so nice," Nunnally said with a smile, "But…"

"I'm going to do everything I can to prevent that from happening. I'm doing everything I can do end it all soon," Lelouch said, "By the time you're ready to look at the world again, I promise you that it'll be a kinder place."

"What about school, can I go back still?" Nunnally asked, "And what about you?"

"I'll talk to the Ashford after the next battle, if I can have some guards posted at the academy then you can go back if you want to. I'm sorry I had to break our cover like this, I wanted…"

"I know, but you had to didn't you?" Nunnally said, consoling Lelouch, an odd scene considering the age difference, "I don't mind."

"Well then, I have to go talk to Cecelia, any idea where she is?" Lelouch asked.

"She's up on the balcony, she said she figured you would want to talk to her," Nunnally said, then she motioned Lelouch to come closer, which he did, "But Nii-san, don't you all ready have Shirley?"

Lelouch held in a laugh when his mind made the connection to what Nunnally said and what it meant, "It's not like that. And you should get to bed, you may be skipping school for a few days, but that doesn't mean it isn't getting late."

Lelouch walked up to the balcony after saying goodnight to Nunnally and walked up to C.C. who just so happened to have another pizza box on a table and was all ready half-way done with it, "You know, seeing how much pizza you eat, I'd swear you were a guy."

"Now is that something you should be saying to someone doing you a favor?" C.C. asked, finishing off a slice of pizza.

"I suppose not," he said as he handed C.C. a letter, "You know what to do with it naturally. Can't be too sure on who could hear this so I prefer to keep this matter silent."

"Naturally, good luck, you'll be needing it," C.C. said while Lelouch walked off.

A few days later, Lelouch and a large portion of the army stationed in Japan was sitting at the bottom of the mountain at Narita. The mobile command center and the field hospital positioned a good deal away from the base of the mountain. "This is Battalion one, all set," A voice broadcasted over a secure frequency to the Mobile Command Fortress, where Lelouch was sitting in the throne, watching the main screens. Euphemia was standing near a table to observe the battle alongside several tacticians who would be explaining to her what was going on. She was in a less formal dress, more suited for having to move around a lot than her normal dress.

"Battalion two, ready to go,"

"Battalion three, standing by,"

"Battalion four, awaiting orders,"

"This is scouting division one, Lieutenant Mary Sherrie in command, ready to move out,"

"This is scouting division two, Major Earl Hunter L. Leveque in command, ready for action,"

"This is scouting division three, Warrant Officer Anya Earlstreim in command, standing by for orders," Anya's voice came in a monotone, Lelouch deciding that was probably how she normally talked.

"Knight of Rounds rank three Gino Weinberg, Field Commander and leading scouting division four, just say when Lelouch," Gino's voice came over the frequency as well.

"Earl Lloyd Asplund with the Special Dispatch. Just say when to launch," Lloyd's usual unconcerned and carefree voice said.

"Sniper and observation unit one reporting, all clear,"

"Sniper and observation unit two, everything checks out over here,"

"Sniper and observation unit three, a-okay here,"

"Sniper and observation unit four, sun is shining and the birds are singing,"

Lelouch got up and began walking forward, "Good, all conditions are cleared. Royal Army of Britannia, this is a chance, we may see Rei, we may see Zero, and we will see Toudou in this battle. Be prepared for the worst and lets all go home safely." Lelouch took a deep breath and then his right hand shot out, "All forces, begin Operation: Spiral Glory!"

* * *

And that's where I'll stop things for this chapter. It was so tempting to do more than a few things this chapter, revealing quite a few things. I decided against it so you'll have to wait to see what happens. Now onto those questions of mine.

1) Who do you think Lelouch's replacement Zero is for this battle?

2) A rather minor introduction to Anya, but really, I think it fit her personality. Here's a question, do you think Lelouch can get her on his side like he intends to?

3) Do you think Rei/Mao will actually show up?

4) I forgot to ask this back in chapter 7, this is a triva question, where did Mary Sherrie and Hunter L. Leveque come from? (Curious as to how many people remember this)

And that's all, now press that review button and give me one before Lelouch convinces a crowd of solders you're him.

Ciao for now!

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChoas


	13. Narita

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass….what I'm supposed to come up with something funny or clever every chapter?

Stats: 254 reviews (23 last chapter), 16955 hits (657 last chapter), 8 c2s, 93 favs, and 109 alerts….wait 109 alerts? Damn, talk about a lot of email to send out.

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"I don't get it, why are most of our forces being held back?" Euphemia asked Lelouch pointing at the digital map of the area in front of them, Lelouch paying close attention to the scouting divisions moving about.

"The first duty is to find the location of the enemy base, however if we move in with everybody first we run the risk of setting off a lot of traps or having them trigger traps on us. We want them to begin their attack first while we have the highly mobile and skilled knights who are acting as scouts. Gino is the number one target amongst those participating in this battle, if they have set any traps they'll set them off on him. Not that it'll work," Lelouch explained, a small smirk on his face, that wasn't the real reason, but it was a good excuse.

"Scouting division four, looks like your guess was right, we've encountered enemy Knightmare, this entire mountain has likely become a fortress," Gino reported in.

"Scouting division one, same situation, they're coming out of the ground on hidden elevators," Mary added in.

"Scouting division two, nothing to report here, I can get to Sherrie quickly, shall I provide backup?" Hunter asked.

"Unnecessary, continue searching these are diversions. The main force is still hidden," Lelouch stated, typing in something into a console, creating a red region where the scouting divisions one and four were, "Dispatch them and continue searching divisions one and four. Battalions One and Four, send in two squads each and see if you can make use of the enemy's elevators and tunnels."

Lelouch looked at the markers that indicated where he set the observation and sniper units. Although it wasn't something most people would notice, the four had one blindspot none of them could see near the top of the mountain. That was where he had ordered the Black Knights to hide until just the right moment. Everything was going according to the plan he had for his side of this, they found the main entrance to the enemy base fairly quickly and Lelouch ordered the mass attack of it. And luckily for him, it was by Gino. Then it happened, the top of the mountain erupted, caused by the super-heating of the water flowing inside the mountain which then caused a rapid expansion of it. When Lelouch felt the resulting Earthquake, he put on a panicked look and then zoomed in towards the top of the mountain, "All units participating in the mass attack! Eject! Immediately eject!"

"Lelouch, what's the…" Euphemia asked when the massive eruption became more clear, "What in the world…"

A mass ejection took place, the resulting avalanche taking out most of the battalions there, leaving about a third of the original forces. Lelouch narrowed his eyes and said, "Zero. So you've come."

At that exact moment a report came in, "This is observation unit three, units one, two, and four just got taken out and I see Knightmares charging down the mountain."

"Oh? So then, who did that?" Lelouch asked himself.

"Oh my god, what are those things? Bug Glasgow?...wait they…" then the transmission went static.

"Bug Glasgow? A new model?" Lelouch said as he turned all camera's behind him and then contacted the special Dispatch, "Launch the Lancelot, there's someone behind us." Lelouch then turned to the tacticians, three of them, "I want two of you to go to the special dispatch and, take control of seven units from what's left of battalion three and coordinate a counter offensive against the unit or units coming from behind. The last I want to go to the field hospital and help evacuate it to a safer location. We're being attack from all sides." After the three of them left he looked at Euphemia, shutting off outgoing communications and said, "You wanted to say something Euphie?"

"That explosion, that was…"

"I didn't plan on that, I just told him to interfere and help the liberation army. This was a bit overzealous, but it perfectly validates his status as an enemy of us, at least to their eyes," Lelouch answered the question, "I was expecting an avalanche."

"I see, then that's why you knew right away that the moment the mass attack occurred that this would happen," Euphemia concluded.

"More or less, however we also netted two other very important targets. The ones behind us are likely Toudou Kyoshiro and his allies. The one who took out the other observation and sniper groups was obviously Rei. He did it instantly and without ever alerting anybody while it happened. Rei is the real target, he would never have made his move if not for Zero's move," Lelouch explained while typing out commands and sending them to the remaining troops, reorganizing them and sending the three Rounds candidates to the eastern portion of the battlefield, "Between this explosion and Rei, Rei is far more dangerous. But he's also stupid."

"Stupid? But he's outwitted Gino at every corner hasn't he?" Euphemia asked, which Lelouch answered by bringing up videos of the battles against him on the main monitors.

"Rei's reaction time is far too fast. He makes the most appropriate counter move a split second before those he faces begin their attack. Furthermore his reaction time is fastest while within melee range, and it gradually gets slower as the range increases. I don't know how, but he has some sort of future sight ability, a highly developed sixth sense I guess," Lelouch said, not really sure himself, "I'm working off that assumption at least. If I'm wrong then we'll find out shortly. It is for that reason I'm willing to sacrifice over sixty Knightmare Frames to take him down. An ability like that is far too dangerous to let roam freely."

"Major Leveque here, I've spotted the white Sutherland. That bastard's here like you guessed he would be, orders?" a message came blaring in loudly, a message Lelouch had been waiting for.

Lelouch turned communications back on and put a finger to his lip telling Euphemia he'd talk to her later, then to Leveque he said, "All right, listen up. Leveque I want you to go in hard and fast, attack from the left flank. Lieutenant Sherrie, put some distance between you and Rei, shoot at his spinners, the opposite one from the side Leveque is attacking from. Warrant Officer Earlstreim, fire a general burst of missiles at his back."

Rei responded simply to that attack, he brought out his right tonfa to block a lance attack from Hunter Leveque, he spun around Hunter's Sutherland to avoid Sherrie's rifle fire. But then he took a missile to his left arm from Anya's cockpit mounted missile launchers. "…He should have seen that coming, is it that he couldn't avoid it…" Lelouch muttered, then he gave out the next set of orders, "Anya, use your bazooka and fire at him, Leveque use a Chaos Mine, Sherrie continue firing at his spinners." Rei avoided the bazooka fire by shooting to the left this time, barely avoided the chaos mine when it was shot out and then avoided the shots from Sherrie. "…I see, it's not future sight is it?" Lelouch smirked, "Well that ability is more useful I would venture."

"Ability? What are you talking about Lelouch?" Euphemia asked.

"Don't worry about it, I've got him," Lelouch said with a smirk, "Warrant Officer Anya Earlstreim go to the following position and turn off your monitors."

At the sight of the battle with Rei between the Rounds candidates, Rei himself, the one known as Mao, was having an easy time with Sherrie and Leveque, "Heh, heh, heh, these two have gotten better since I first took them out. But what's their plan? They're moving perfectly in unison but I can't figure out what they're trying to accomplish, and that other one vanished completely," Mao commented to himself, "Something about an ambush."

"Don't get too cocky Mao," Vain transmitted, "They're being directly ordered, you're likely fighting against Lelouch Vi Britannia himself right now."

"So what? He just thinks…" Mao began to say, taking a potshot at Leveque.

"Don't get careless, he has access to C.C., he could very well have a power himself. If he has a power then with your supernaturally fast reaction time he would likely take into consideration that you have one as well," G.G. stated sharply, "The one you lost track of is most likely proof of that. He probably has guessed you can read minds, so he probably has her in a secret place where she can't see anything."

"Okay, okay, sheesh you don't need to yell. So why the kid in the Gloucester? Why not miss sniper there in the Sutherland?" Mao asked.

"The kid will take you out in one hit. She's carrying heavy assault equipment. One hit from her and you're down," G.G. responded through the transmission, "It's a simplistic strategy, but because it's simple you can't predict when and where he's going to do it. There are a lot of hiding places, especially thanks to…wait…damn it Mao! Get out of there immediately! The girl's a decoy!"

Just then one of Mao's spinners took a shot, a shot from a high-powered anti-Knightmare sniper rifle, coming from the direction of the mobile fortress. "Shit!" Mao exclaimed as he desperately fended off an attack from Leveque, "That was dirty!"

"Lelouch Vi Britannia, of course, he saw through our thinking and then what we'd think he was planning. He made you concentrate on the those three knights instead of where the attack would actually come from," Vain commented, and then began to chuckle, "I like him, he earned that nickname."

"The Dragon of the East, Lelouch Vi Britannia, I'll get him, I'll get that bastard!" Mao yelled as he pulled his ejection controls, just as the rockets from Anya's Gloucester reached his Sutherland, blowing it to pieces.

Back at the Mobile Command Center, Lelouch was smirking as he asked, "Report."

"We've destroyed his Sutherland, but he ejected beforehand," Hunter Leveque answered, "The guy's good, I'm searching for the cockpit now."

"Good, Tell Warrant Officer Earlstreim and Lieutenant Sherrie to join the Knight of Three's assault," Lelouch said as he turned that communication channel off, with a smirk he said, "With any luck we'll capture him. But for now he's been neutralized."

"But was this really worth so many Knightmares?" Euphemia asked, looking him in the eyes now.

"Even if we don't get him we've done something very important. We showed the army that Rei is not invincible. Up till now he's been absolutely invincible, no one could touch him. With this, I've proven that I'm not some brat who got lucky," Lelouch stated, then turning on another channel, "Special Dispatch, report."

"Ah, ah, so how did that fight go?" Lloyd's voice came over the channel.

"We beat Rei and are now searching for his cockpit, I'm not too hopeful, but I'm satisfied with a small victory for now," Lelouch responded, "And your situation?"

"Suzaku is doing quite well, he's up against five new model Glasgow, I'd say they're on the level of Sutherland under that armor, and the pilots are highly skilled. He's damaged them and has sustained no damage thanks to the backup you sent," Lloyd answered, "All this data is very wonderful."

"Good, keep up the good work," Lelouch said and then changed channels again, "Gino Weinberg, report."

"Going pretty badly here, these Black Knights have some new frame that's giving us hell. A bright red one with this large hand, it melts Knightmares with some sort of radiation. And it's really fast," Gino immediately reported, "Get the Lancelot over here, we need help and badly."

"Casualties?" Lelouch asked.

"None so far, I noticed that it was fishy right away, almost one, that Orange foolishly attacked without first examining the situation,"

Lelouch changed channels, "Earlstreim, Sherrie, change of plans, head back here to the Mobile Command Center and play defense, five highly skilled pilots are assaulting the base here, the Lancelot is currently handling them with some backup, he needs to got up to the main battle."

"Understood, Earlstreim follow me," Sherrie said over the channel, Lelouch switching channels again.

"Special Dispatch, patch me into the Lancelot," Lelouch said and then waited a few moments.

"This is Kururugi Suzaku, what are your orders your highness?" Suzaku's voice came over the channel.

"Warrant Officer Earlstreim and Lieutenant Sherrie are on their way to your position, when they get there you are to head towards the Knight of Three's signal. There is a new Knightmare you need to take down there, a bright red one, it's a melee fighter with some sort of radiation arm," Lelouch ordered Suzaku.

"Yes, your highness, orders received," Suzaku responded, Lelouch shutting the channel off.

"That takes care of that," Lelouch stated with a smirk, "Now to just bring about the end of this battle."

"How much of this has gone according to the real plan?" Euphemia asked, breathing a sigh of relief, she had obviously thought Lelouch a traitor for a moment.

"About fifty percent, better than I would have expected," Lelouch responded simply, "The Black Knights will withdraw as quickly as possible with the appearance of the Lancelot."

"The casualties from the fight with the Black Knights, exactly how are you controlling whether or not that red one is killing our solders?" Euphemia asked, "Surely that would look suspicious if he was ordered to not kill anybody."

"Because she's a spy for me as well. I instructed Zero to hand that machine to her, she's a highly skilled pilot so it doesn't look suspicious,"

"I see, so when this is all over…" Euphemia began, starting to put Lelouch's overall plan together for herself.

"I'll personally have that red machine under my control," Lelouch finished her sentence, "And I'll have the one who designed it with any luck."

"But this, isn't this all a bit complicated?" Euphemia asked, "Even for you, this plan is…"

"Highly risky, highly complex, and highly difficult to pull off. I'm making my appeal to the throne. Schneizel has Europe to make his appeal. Cornelia has Africa. I was left to play defensive here," Lelouch stated simply, and then added with a confident smirk, "If all goes according to plan, I'll take China within the year."

"If you can do that, with your limited resources, eradicate the terrorism in Area Eleven, and maintain all your holdings. Father would have a hard time resisting the pressure to not appoint you the heir," Euphemia concluded, "The pressure from the nobility would even make him budge."

"Indeed," Lelouch said, his eyes taking on a darker appearance as reports came in that the Black Knights were withdrawing, and those attacking from the rear. "It's especially risky, because he's likely seen my plan in action," Lelouch stated, "Tell me, do you know what Cornelia, Schneizel, and mine record of wins and losses are against father?"

"No, what are they?"

"Cornelia has won five times and lost ninety five times. Schneizel has won twenty five and lost seventy five times. I've won thirty times and lost seventy times. If that's any indication of my chances of success," Lelouch left the rest unsaid, that smirk on his face still, exactly how much he had left unsaid was anybodies guess.

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter. This one was a bit harder to write than the others and I was fairly busy this week. Well then, without further stalling onto the questions!

1) I haven't asked this question yet. Do you think Lelouch is loyal to the empire or will he betray it to take the throne in a more aggressive way than what he's claiming?

2) With that in mind, now who do you think he's being the most truthful with, Euphemia, Kallen, or Suzaku?

3) Opinion question, like the Chinese nickname for Lelouch? ("Dragon of the East")

And that's all, now press that review button before Mao decides to declare revenge on you next.

Ciao for now!

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	14. Revealing Plans

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass, if I did we'd have had some meaningless Biblical symbolism just for the hell of it.

Well then, I am apparently in need of explaining that nickname I gave Lelouch. "Dragon of the East" is not a reference to Seiryu / Qing Long / Azure Dragon, it's a reference to Huang Long, the dragon that represents the Emperor. If I was referencing the Azure Dragon I'd have said Azure Dragon. Huang Long more or less translates as "Yellow Dragon" and there was no way I was calling Lelouch "The Yellow Dragon of the East" so I dropped the yellow part, and I as a general rule don't use Chinese or Japanese words unless it's particularly important as a plot point, and I wasn't about to use the Chinese word for East either because I know what would happen (if you wanna know why go look it up yourself) much less use it with "Huang Long."

Throw in the symbolism of the Eastern direction for things such as rebirth, fitting Lelouch's goal of remaking the world, the complete symbolism of the nickname beomes "Emperor of Rebirth."

As for why he'd get the nickname, the Chinese would have to deal with him quite a bit considering his status and hold over Sakuradite the important war resource, and his ability to maintain enormous power with very little resources. The Eunuchs would get that name to spread about as a placation to keep the dragon quiet so to speak, and Britannia and China aren't in open hostility.

Sheesh, I knew I shouldn't have done something clever.

But bonus points to "Yersi Fanel" for taking the wrong road but getting to the right neighborhood nonetheless.

Stats: (Picks jaw up) 279 reviews (24 last chapter), 18868 hits (591 last chapter), 9 c2s (finally went up one here), 100 favorites, 112 alerts.

* * *

The army quickly returned to the Britannian settlement, Lelouch bidding Euphemia goodbye, quietly vanishing from the mobile command fortress and the army, wearing civilian clothing with a hat to hide his face. He quickly made his way back out towards the Ghettos, removing his outer layer of clothing revealing he was wearing part of the Zero outfit under them. He picked up a mask and a cape from a hiding place in the Ghettos and put them both on. "Now to check on the Black Knights," he said with a chuckle as he made his way towards where he knew they would be hiding.

"Hold it right there," he heard a Japanese voice command him from behind, the sound of a gun being readied, "Who are…Zero-sama? But you were…"

"A replacement," Lelouch said turning around, "I was taking care of the snipers that the so called glorious strategist had placed in the area, they would have ended the plan before it even began. Where's Ogi?"

"Wha…whose the pilot of the Gurren if you're really Zero? Only the Black Knights should know that considering it was only given to that person prior to the Narita battle," the guard demanded.

"Karen Kouzuki," Lelouch answered simply, "That is, if the replacement followed my orders."

"…You're right, then shall I escort you to the celebration Zero-sama?" the guard asked with a bow.

"No, tell the Zero that his 'informant' is here and wishes to speak with him," Lelouch ordered as he turned and walked into a dark alley, the guard seeing him do so and then went inside.

He didn't wait long for his replacement to come outside, walking into the alley himself, "Zero, it is an honor to finally meet you in person," the replacement Zero said with a slight bow, his right hand over his heart.

"You did well, you performed your job splendidly," Lelouch told him, "Diethart Reid."

"Ah, thank you, but why did you have me lead such an important battle? Even if you gave me plans for every situation that came up, it should have been…" the replacement Zero, Diethart Reid, objected.

"A test of you, had you proven to not be sincere in your wish to join I could have blown your knightmare up and taken command of the Black Knights as normal. I also had the more important duty of taking care of the snipers, had they remained active they would have ended the plan before it began," Lelouch told Diethart as he handed him a suitcase that he suddenly removed from the shadows, "Remove the costume and put this on, I'll introduce you to the Black Knights myself now."

The next day, Lelouch was sitting in his office, having spoken to the Ashford family about placing some professional solders at the academy, getting their consent to do so. "So the Phantom Prince is here today, I swear you're impossible to find," Gino said walking into the room.

"Phantom Prince, I suppose I earned that nickname after yesterday?" Lelouch asked with a smirk.

"Indeed, no one saw you leave. I've got to learn how you do that trick. It'd save me hours of time when I'm stuck listening to your father's speeches," Gino said, walking up to and sitting on Lelouch's desk, "I've got a bit of good and bad news. The good news is that the success of the operation has reached the general public like you wanted. Though we captured neither Zero nor Rei, the fact that we beat them has created a new sense of trust in the government."

"And the bad news?" Lelouch asked, going over a report of the items recovered from the Liberation Army's base.

"The Chinese are sending a delegate, so you're going to have to play host and do some negotiations over Sakuradite amongst other things," Gino replied, "Sucks to be you."

Lelouch smirked at Gino, "Bad news? Oh no, I would say that was rather good news for me. Imperial Law six seventy three, all goods taken from an enemy base during military situations are property of the commander of the operation. That being me I have a great deal of negotiation material now."

"Yeah so? Was there something good in that base?" Gino asked, tilting his head at Lelouch's statement.

"Oh very much so, the Chinese couldn't have sent their delegate at a better time. Along with the ten percent of goods produced by Government facilities I am allowed to claim as my own, this should prove most profitable," Lelouch said with a broad smirk, "Well then, we'll have to have the cooks prepare the ingredients and prepare the Chinese Embassy for use. It has been a while since they have sent anybody here. When will they be here?"

"A few days. I heard a famous member of the military will be acting as a bodyguard, sounds interesting doesn't it?" Gino asked with a smile, "I've always wanted to meet face to face with an Ace from another country, I'm usually only fighting them in Knightmares."

"Then this should be a learning experience for both of us, I've been able to remain hidden for a long time thanks to Clovis so I've never had the chance to deal with the Chinese personally," Lelouch stated rather whimsically, "The Phantom Prince ceases to be terrifying when you meet him face to face."

"So that's one of the ways you've managed to hold onto this area so well, the fear of the unknown. No one knew exactly what you were capable of," Gino stated, "But with that last military operation, people have something they can use to measure what you can do."

"Exactly, a reason I am supremely annoyed by Rei and Zero, they shattered my armor, broke my spear, and knocked me off my horse. I am required to use my sword and my shield now," Lelouch sighed, "At least until I can create new armor, a new spear, and gain a new mount."

"So you plan on making use of China's vast resources, with the one resource you have almost exclusively and in great abundance, you'll hijack the resources that China has in great abundance, but far from being the exclusive owners of the source," Gino summarized, "A simple way to improve your position here in Area Eleven. You'll greatly increase your personal power and greatly increase Britannia's influence here if it goes well."

"It'll go well, the world's greed for Sakuradite is great," Lelouch said while he stood up and looked out the windows behind him, "And whoever they send to meet with me is hardly someone who can challenge my abilities. They'll slip up and I'll have them where I want them."

"You sound like some sort of evil mastermind you know,"

"I'll take that as a compliment," Lelouch answered with a smirk.

Later that night Lelouch was out on the balcony once again speaking with C.C. who was once again eating a large pizza, "Rei, you know him don't you?"

"I can't say that I do," C.C. replied, "How should I know a man who doesn't even show his face?"

"He has a power, I'm willing to bet it's reading minds," Lelouch said, getting a short gasping reaction from C.C., "So I was correct."

"Mao, Chinese, his power is indeed the ability to read minds…he likely knows I'm here," C.C. stated.

"My ability has weaknesses, what of his?" Lelouch asked, "He must have weaknesses as well."

"He can't turn his power off, like you can. It's always on, and he has a five hundred meter radius. He shortens it when he concentrates on one person," C.C. explained, "And he can continually use it without eye contact on people. They need only be in range."

"That would certainly explain his ability to pilot. But there's another trick to it," Lelouch said with his eyes narrowing slightly, "If his abilities were that simply explained then I wouldn't have any problems. He likely has an ally with some sort of power as well, a power that can be used in conjunction with his own to increase his abilities somehow."

"Possibly," C.C. admitted, "I wouldn't know."

"I see, then this makes things simpler for me, I know his goal, with that in mind I can manipulate him," Lelouch stated with a chuckle, "He's probably a simple man, being able to read minds would make one considerably simpler, not having to deal with the subtleties of normal conversation, he could see the truth of matters instantly."

"You can't beat him, someone like you who is constantly thinking can't defeat that man. The same trick you used last time won't work again," C.C. warned Lelouch who only chuckled at her statement.

"As long as I am not within five hundred meters of him, I can defeat him," Lelouch said, "A simple man like that does not stand a chance against me as long as I keep that limitation in mind."

The next few days went by with little excitement, terrorist activity had quieted down, Lelouch spent that time calculating the worth of the materials he had captured from the terrorists and his own supply of Sakuradite. And then from there calculating the materials he could get from China with that amount. Before long it was time for his meeting with the Chinese Ambassador. Lelouch was walking down a corridor in the Chinese Embassy, a building that had, until just recently, been full of dust and dirt. Lelouch casually walked into a room with a large table and two large chairs. In one chair was a man with purple lipstick and a long yellow robe. Behind that man was a tall black haired man in a ceremonial garb of some sort. Behind Lelouch came Gino Weinberg, his designated bodyguard for this affair. Lelouch took the seat opposite the robed man, and the two sat there in silence for a bit before the Chinese Ambassador spoke, "I am Gao Hai, you are the Dragon of…no Lelouch Vi Britannia are you not?"

"Indeed I am, a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Lelouch said with a small smile, the first victory in this negotiation was all ready his, he knew they were in fairly desperate need of something from him, then indicating Gino behind him he said, "This is Gino Weinberg, member of his most imperial majesty Charles Di Britannia's, my father, personal knights the Knights of Rounds, he is the Knight of Three, the third highest rank."

Gao Hai nodded his head and then indicated the man behind him, "Xingke, a decorated general from my country. He doesn't have quite the same glorious title as your companion but I can vouch for his ability."

"Now that introductions are out of the way, shall we get down to business?" Lelouch asked leaning forward, "How much are you here for? You obviously want more than what was recently determined by the recent conference."

"Yes, you aren't the type to beat around the bush as the saying goes are you?" Gao Hai said cautiously, "Very well, you are correct, we are looking to negotiate for more Sakuradite."

Lelouch took out a small notepad, "Well then I can't offer a whole lot," he said slyly, a trap he was preparing, something Gao Hai didn't pick up on but his guard did, waiting for Gao Hai to take a sip of the tea that was prepared Lelouch placed the notepad on the table and turned it to Gao Hai to show him an amount that was written on it, "But I suppose I can part with this much. Do keep in mind this is from my personal stores of it."

Gao Hai almost choked on his tea when he saw the amount Lelouch was implying wasn't a whole lot, and comparatively speaking it wasn't, only about one year's worth of what was produced in Japan, but he had twice that for his own use thanks to a great many things over the years, "That much?" Gao Hai asked, obviously dropping his pretense of trying to act like it wasn't a lot, figuring out he had all ready blown his cover there.

"Oh indeed, now comes this question," Lelouch said as he flipped the front page of the notepad, "How much of this can you meet my demand for?"

Gao Hai took a look at the list of materials and amounts Lelouch had written down, iron, nickel, antimony, vanadium, molybdenum, tungsten, tin, oil, natural gases, and all manner of other metals and materials. "I think we can meet these demands for this much. A fair price, but I would have to communicate with my fellows to gather these resources. I'm surprised you aren't pushing for more."

"A fruitful partnership in business begins with mutual honesty and fairness, wouldn't you agree?" Lelouch asked with a smirk, "I am in no hurry, you may by all means contact your fellows."

A knock came on the door of the room as a Britannian solder of high rank entered, "Forgive my intrusion honored ambassador, I have something I must report to my governor," he said with a bow.

"Of course, please go ahead." Gao Hai said.

"My Prince, we have captured him," the man said to Lelouch, "We've captured Toudou Kyoshiro."

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter. Xingke showed up early but didn't have much to do this chapter, we'll see more of him later folks so don't worry. Now onto those questions of mine.

1) Anybody have a clue of what exactly Lelouch is planning now? Yes those materials contain a clue, a small one but a clue nonetheless.

2) No one saw Diethart Reid coming. Instead of asking what you thought of that, what do you think was my reasoning for using him?

3) Okay now that I've explained that nickname "Dragon of the East" what do you think of it?

4) Ooh crazy, four questions. What do you think is going to happen with that last little plot twist there?

5) Wow hell froze over, five questions. I apparently have some foreign readers (well to me at any rate) amongst my reviewers, so I'm kinda curious as to where ya'll are from. I'm quite public about where I'm from (in case you haven't figured it out, I'm Texan), so where are you from? Just the country name or state name is fine, I'm not looking for addresses or the like.

And that's all, now press that review button before Lelouch tricks you into doing a spit-take.

Ciao for now!

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	15. Overlooked

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass, if I did Suzaku would break the laws of physics more, because it's funny

That was pretty cool to learn how I have readers all along the Pacific and Atlantic Rim and readers from the U.S. and Canada. I can only say I'm a bit sad I didn't learn I have any readers in Japan, that would have been a nice layer of icing on the all ready awesome cake.

Stats: 304 reviews (24 last chapter), 20631 hits (549 last chapter), 9 c2s, 104 favs, and 114 alert

* * *

"Gao Hai," Xingke said following the ambassador, "That man is not to be trusted."

"Of course Xingke, he is Britannian afterall," Gao Hai responded without turning around.

"There's more to it than that. Those materials he wants in exchange for the Sakuradite. He plans on building factories, and a lot of them," Xingke exclaimed, "Britannia's Knightmares are more advanced than our own, within half a year he would be ready to invade."

"Xingke," Gao Hai said, covering the lower portion of his face with his long and bulky sleeves, "He can try, but Britannia's Knightmares are not that advanced. Nor does he have the manpower for such things. He can barely hold onto this country thanks to his own skills."

"That man has something else up his sleeves, he is planning something of incredible complexity. You could see it in his eyes," Xingke protested.

"Xingke, you are a skilled general, but that is all you are," Gao Hai stated, walking away from the man.

"You know, I agree," Gino said appearing from around a corner, "I wanted to speak with you, but it appears my topic of interest has changed."

"So you think he plans on betraying Britannia?" Xingke concluded from Gino's sudden appearance and his words.

"The Emperor does at least, I'm here as an observer," Gino answered simply, "I assume you had figured out I was here for more than to be just a general."

"Indeed, but I wouldn't have figured you were here to watch over a Prince, why him?" Xingke asked, aiming to try and get more information out of the man.

"Because there is no trace of betrayal, not a single one. Even Cornelia who is loyal to the Empire has traces of betraying it. Schneizel is clearly preparing for it. But Lelouch, there isn't even a trace of the intent to betray. He's far too clean," Gino explained simply.

"The greatest light has the greatest shadow, is that it?" Xingke asked.

"Indeed, now what kind of factory do you believe he is aiming to build?" Gino asked, "Give and take afterall."

"It is only fair, the materials he asked for, many of them are certainly required to make Knightmares, but many of those materials, they don't make any sense. There are Knightmare factories here all ready, so why would he need such a great amount of iron. Iron is not used in Knightmare construction, it's too heavy and the amount of heat it generates would melt the complicated components. Iron's main use is in support vehicles such as tanks, weaponry, and factories, at least as far as war implements go," Xingke explained, "Factories, he's building factories of some kind, there are enough Knightmare Factories now to satisfy his need for them. But he lacks the personal for an invasion and he's building more factories, for what purpose? Why does he need more factories? And where will he build them? Figure that much out yourself."

"Good exchanging information with you," Gino said with a smirk, walking out of the Chinese Embassy after that.

"Lelouch-sama, he's innocent you know," a soft voice stated in a monotone.

"Personally I'm not thinking he's guilty or innocent, I'm only thinking he's up to something. I just want to find out what, Anya," Gino said, looking to his left at the small girl, "If we find out the truth you'll be a Knight of Rounds. If you believe he's innocent then just prove it. Shouldn't be too hard right?"

"He is not someone you can learn the truth about easily," Anya said.

"Yeah, which makes him suspicious. What is it exactly that he's planning. Euphemia seems to know something but she won't tell, so that does give him some credibility for being loyal to the Emperor. But Lelouch is on the level of Schneizel, no he's higher if only by a little bit. He's an unknown quantity, which makes him the single most dangerous member of the royal family. The only thing we know for certain is his devotion to raising his little sister and that he supports integration," Gino stated, "He hasn't made a move to see if he can convert you or the other two to his side as well. I don't know if that's because he is loyal or if he has seen that trap."

The two of them walked to a private car, Lelouch having long since left the embassy, to go interrogate Toudou himself, Anya spoke up, "About your theory, that he's Zero, doesn't it fall apart thanks to the Narita battle?"

"No, that only makes it fishier. That battle was too clean as well, too perfect, except for the red machine that went after me, if he's Zero he would want to get rid of me, he placed me on the frontlines as a field commander while you and the other two were under his direct command. He separated us so that we weren't fighting together, so that we wouldn't overwhelm either of our opponents," Gino said as they got in the car and the driver began to take them back to headquarters, "True, you disabled Rei, but you could have done more."

"I see," Anya said, "What will you do if he is guilty?"

"Turn him in of course," Gino answered as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"If he planned for that?"

"Well I'll be screwed if he sees it coming. I just have to hope I can out maneuver the Glorious Strategist," Gino then smirked, "What about you?"

Lelouch opened the door into an interrogation room, one without the usual one-way mirror, one where he could hold a secret meeting. He entered the room where an armed guard was with an older Japanese man handcuffed to a heavy-set chair bolted to the floor. "Toudou Kyoshiro, a pleasure to finally meet you, the only one to ever successfully score a victory against me all those years ago," Lelouch said as he sat down in the chair opposite of Toudou, a table between them, he looked up at the guard and said, "You may leave."

The guard left before Toudou spoke, "Lelouch Vi Britannia I assume, you're younger than I imagined you would look up close. Funny, I always pictured you would have grown up manlier than this, that little boy who was always causing trouble alongside Suzaku."

Lelouch smiled, "Heh, so you do remember me."

"I do, so, shall I call you Prince, Lelouch, or perhaps that third name of yours, Zero," Toudou asked, Lelouch looked at the man, he had no proof but he was taking a shot that his intuition was right.

"Zero? Well that's a large accusation, what makes you think I'm Zero?" Lelouch asked with a smirk, enjoying this conversation, Toudou could very well be easier to deal with than originally thought.

"The Battle of Narita, it went too perfectly for all sides. Few Britannian casualties, few Black Knight casualties, but many casualties on the Liberation Army side, yet members were able to escape and neither Britannia or the Black Knights received a crushing defeat," Toudou explained his reasoning, "Only one man had the ability to perform such a feet. You."

"Oh, well that may certainly be possible," Lelouch admitted, "But what reason would I have to be Zero?"

"You are not one to live in the shadow of another man, I can sense that speaking to you now, and from when I spoke to you seven years ago," Toudou said looking at Lelouch's eyes, "You plan on taking your father's throne by force, and you plan on doing it behind the Japanese people's back by using them."

Lelouch sighed, leaning back and bridging his fingers, "You're right about one thing, I do plan on using the Japanese people to do just that, but I have no plans on doing it behind their back. I plan on having them completely aware of who they are following."

"Then why the act with Zero?" Toudou asked, "It seems unnecessary."

"Would I have you here in this room now if not for Zero?" Lelouch asked with a smirk.

"I see, and you want to use me?" Toudou asked, a smirk coming across his own face now, "You expect me to help…"

"Toudou, you should know my stance on the Japanese people," Lelouch stated with a smile, leaning back in, "You can see it can't you, the results of an empire with that sort of high guard."

Toudou looked at Lelouch, shocked at what Lelouch was saying. Lelouch chuckled as he saw recognition spread across Toudou's face, he understood Lelouch's plans, "I see. And what would you have me do?"

Lelouch stood up, "Well first you'll have to be executed, then your real job will begin," he answered, Toudou's expression saying that he had immediately grasped what Lelouch was saying, "You are worthy of that nickname, Toudou the Miracle."

"The Glorious Strategist, I can see why you're called that. Who else knows?" Toudou asked.

"Kururugi Suzaku and Euphemia Li Britannia however they only knows up to the Zero part. Then there is one member of the Black Knights who knows a good deal more, but not the whole plan," Lelouch answered truthfully, "You can imagine what's the next step in my plan is can't you?"

"Yes, you'll capture the Black Knights under your name, and then use me to convince them to join you," Toudou answered, a smirk coming on his face, "My former master may be dead now thanks to your attack on Narita. But this old samurai still has his duty to his people, I'll help."

"Very good, how long would your subordinates wait until they decide you've been captured? I plan on keeping your capture a secret that long, about a week?" Lelouch asked, to which Toudou nodded in agreement, "I see, a short amount of time, but it should let me get everything I need to do accomplished."

"Aren't you afraid I might speak to…"

"Of course not, who would believe it? Not to mention I have a weapon no one can possibly predict that I have," Lelouch said with a smirk, "That and you're not the kind of man who would do that."

Toudou laughed, "I suppose you're right."

A mere hour later Lelouch had returned to the headquarters, rather satisfied with the results of his actions today. He had secured an important ally and he had secured the resources he would need when he made his move. Gino was sent on a wild goose chase thanks to those resources, it would keep him distracted while Lelouch made his real moves. Lelouch would need someone to do some investigating for him. Perhaps he would use Jeremiah Gottwald, he would be desperate to prove his worth again thanks to the Orange incident. Entering his office he noticed the lights were off, unusual given they were usually turned on, the door closed behind him as he walked over to the light switch, and then a recording of his voice played, a record of his meeting with Toudou. Lelouch stood in shock, he had checked the room, how was it recorded? "I assume since you're here and hiding your identity that you want something. What is it?"

"I want to join you,"

* * *

And that's where I'll end things for this chapter. With Lelouch's first big slip-up. Now I'll go right into the questions and I bet you know what one of them is.

1) Who do you think caught Lelouch's conversation with Toudou on tape? We can rule out Suzaku and Gino I can tell you that much, and I'll give you another clue, there is an "A" and a "N" in their name.

2) Nobody guessed what Lelouch's plan was with Toudou, some people realized I'd keep Toudou around (because hell, I'm a Toudou fan). So what do you think of that conversation?

3) Well then, I haven't outright told you all what Lelouch is planning with those resources, what do you think it is?

And that's all. So press that review button before Gao Hai insults you.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	16. Idiot!

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass, if I did we'd have a dancing episode just to freak people out…yes I'd make them do the Hare Hare Yukai.

Congrats to Akasui last chapter, the only one who gave me the reasoning why it couldn't be anybody but the one person it is. Would have had bonus points if you mentioned the fact that he apparently is a highly skilled military type person (as evidenced by the fact he taught Mao how to pilot and that he understood immediately what Lelouch as Zero was doing) thus would have knowledge of infiltration techniques. And yes to those of you who realized it, the Anya guess was meant to be obvious and a red herring (mind you, it was tempting).

Stats: 338 reviews (34 last chapter), 22225 hits (502 last chapter), 9 c2s, 108 favs, and 118 alerts.

34 reviews for last chapter, I seriously need to figure out why that chapter was so popular and learn to replicate it better.

* * *

"And you are?" Lelouch asked, turning on the lights to reveal a large man of European descent in a leather jacket and pants.

"Call me Vain," he said simply, tossing a small robot to Lelouch, "That's how I got the recording. You're ventilation shafts are far too small for humans, but just big enough for unmanned mini-copters. I have to say, the entrances to the system having alarm systems on it was a huge pain to get around though."

"I see, it appears I'll have to up my security measures," Lelouch stated, "And?"

"No, I didn't see any other bugs so I'm the only one who got this conversation. And I checked this room," Vain answered with a chuckle, then both of his eyes flashed with the Geass symbol, and he pointed at his eyes "Tell me, any idea what this symbol is?"

"I've seen it but this is certainly the first time I saw someone's eyes do that," Lelouch answered, deciding to play dumb on that matter, "What is it?"

"The Power of the King as it is called," Vain answered, his eyes returning to normal, "It varies from person to person, mine is called 'Inspiration,' with it I can bring out the maximum potential of anybody within five hundred kilometers of myself. A large range but I can only use it on one person and it only helps that person. No maximum duration, but I can only give someone the potential to use what they all ready are capable of. Consider it the ability to induce a series of constant epiphanies."

"I see, so then, can I assume Rei has an ability such as this as well?" Lelouch asked crossing his arms, Vain chuckling even more.

"Aye he does, Telepathy, he's got a hundredth of my range but his ability is always on. Figured I was using my ability on him?" Vain admitted to Lelouch's deduction.

"Indeed, Rei's abilities were too great. Now comes an important question, why are you joining me?" Lelouch asked, "And what does he know?"

"Nothing, he can't read my mind, he can't read what I'm not thinking about, or if I'm not thinking at all," Vain explained, "Rei is far too stupid to be able to see this far ahead. As for why I'm joining you, are goals are mutually beneficial. I want to see Schneizel defeated."

Lelouch smirked, and then his Geass activated in his left eye, "Now tell me the truth."

"What you do have…" Vain began to say when his eyes took on the glow of being under Lelouch's control, "My contractor, G.G., desires something called the Sword of Akasha, it's supposed to be in Britannia, or at least an entrance to it is. I wish to see Britannia burn so the EU can conquer it."

"Who is Rei?" Lelouch asked.

"His name is Mao, a Chinese who is contracted to someone named C.C."

"Do you suspect I have C.C.?"

"Yes,"

"Do they suspect I am Zero?"

"No, at least as far as I can tell,"

"Were there any other bugs?"

"No, I told you that,"

"Is this the only copy of the recording?"

"Yes, I didn't have time to make more,"

"And it's in this robot?"

"Yes,"

"If I destroyed the robot or killed you what would happen to the recording?"

"If you destroyed the robot the recording would get destroyed as well, nothing if you killed me,"

"I see," Lelouch said, walking over to a bookcase and took a hidden gun from it, he placed the robot on the ground and then shot it a few times, then he released Vain from his Geass, "You gambled big there Vain."

"Wha…what, you have a power too," Vain said, Lelouch leveling his gun at the man and fired, shooting Vain through the forehead, killing him instantly.

"Indeed, and you're too dangerous to leave alive," Lelouch stated as he went on to crush the robot under his foot until he was satisfied it was good and destroyed.

Just then several guards came rushing in to see Vain slumped over in Lelouch's chair and Lelouch holding a gun, "My Lord, what happened?" one of them asked wide-eyed.

"A spy from the EU got in, one very bold bastard," Lelouch said simply as he picked up the pieces of the robot, "Incinerate his body. I want to make sure he stays dead."

"Yes, your highness," the guards said, Lelouch walking out of the room, he would dispose of the records of his conversation with Toudou personally.

While Lelouch made his way towards an incinerator, he took out his cellphone and called a cellphone he had given C.C., when she picked up Lelouch said, "I've confirmed it, it is Mao."

"I see," C.C. responded on the other end.

"He had an ally, a man with the power of inspiration and someone named G.G., recognize it?" Lelouch asked after having made sure no one was in earshot.

"No, but you are likely guessing correctly, and of this ally?"

"Dead, far too dangerous to allow to live," Lelouch stated simply.

The next day, Lelouch as Zero and the Black Knights had been called to a meeting with an important figure in the rebellion efforts. Someone Lelouch had all ready confirmed who it was, Kirihara Taizo. Lelouch listened to the man's demands to see Zero's face, smirking, the man had no idea Lelouch had seen through this ploy and was sitting in one of the Knightmare he had called in to force the Black Knights to remove his mask. It was revealed C.C. had replaced the him down below, Kallen immediately recognizing her. It was then that Lelouch took action, disabling the other three Knightmares in the room and charging forward to aim his knightmare's rifle at Kirihara, "Old fashion," Lelouch declared as he got out of his Knightmare, a trigger for the giant rifle in his hand, "Kirihara Taizo, your actions are far too easy to read."

"Omae, Zero," Kirihara exclaimed behind a curtain as Lelouch pointed at Kirihara's guards, indicating he wanted them to leave, so that the two of them could look at each other face to face without interruptions. Lelouch put his hand to his mask and removed it once the guards were out of sight, revealing himself to Kirihara, "You."

"Ah, Kirihara-san, it's been a long time, seeing my face don't you," Lelouch began to say and then turned his Geass on, "Truly believe I am an enemy of Britannia."

It took a moment, but that was all it needed, Kirihara chuckled and said with a red rim about his eyes, "Ah, I do believe it, I can guarantee this man is an enemy of Britannia."

"Ah, it is good that you remember me after all these years," Lelouch said, putting his mask back on.

"You walk the path of destruction, are you prepared for such a thing?" Kirihara asked.

"I've been prepared for a very long time," Lelouch responded, a smirk on his face behind his mask, everything was going exactly as planned, however the idea that this was the easy part lingered in the back of his mind.

After that little excitement, the week went by without much event, he sent Gino on a wild goose chase, starting up several construction projects all over Japan, near the Britannian settlement, making it clear that they would be used for something, exactly what was anybodies guess. All while the real location that he would be making use of was kept well hidden, below the solar panels of the Settlement where no one ever went. Another facility was being constructed using Japanese Labor from the settlements with Britannian supervisors to overlook the project. It was something done below several hidden projects he had going on as well. If all went well that facility would be finished within the month thanks to how much of the infrastructure necessary for it was all ready there, it was only a matter of renovating it and moving the equipment there to build what he was going to need. Lelouch was sitting in his office in a new chair all thanks to Vain's little intrusion, rather enjoying having had the excuse to spend money to get a new one. "Oy, Lelouch," Gino said walking in, rather proud of himself.

"Ah, Gino, what can I do for you?" Lelouch asked, in a rather good mood for once, within four more days he'd have everything wrapped up, the majority of the terrorists in Japan under his control, their leaders, their financial supporters, and their researchers would be his in less than a week.

"I located a terrorist, one that was right under your nose. She was in the perfect position to assassinate your sister too," Gino said as he slapped a file down on the table, "You investigated her too according to the records but you apparently didn't find anything at the time. She's a high ranking…"

Lelouch opened the file and saw that it was Kallen, "You idiot," Lelouch sighed, "You've just ruined months of work."

"Wha…what? she's a high ranking member of the Black Knights, one of the founding members from the…" Gino stammered out, surprised by this turn of event.

"She's a spy for me, like Zero is a spy for me, she was meant to keep an eye on Zero and Zero was meant to gather the terrorists up for me so I could get them in one fell swoop," Lelouch explained, playing his displeasure at Gino's actions up, "

"Wha…you mean that whole Narita battle…"

"Not the whole one, the goal of the Battle at Narita was to damage the Liberation Army, capture it's leaders, and kill Rei. We were able to get parts of those second two goals and accomplished the first goal. We captured Toudou as a result of that battle and defeated Rei, an important morale boost, and we certainly damaged the Liberation Army to the point where they joined the Black Knights," Lelouch said nice and slowly, as if he was drilling the plan into Gino's head, "Four more days, four days and I would have had everything taken care of. Now they're going to be on alert so the chances of getting all of them will be considerably lower."

"You mean…that's what all that suspicious stuff has been about? The vanishing and the secret orders…"

"Yes, yes that's exactly it Gino Weinberg, every time I vanished from all observation was because I was giving them new orders. To protect their identities," Lelouch said, growing angry at Gino now, "Do you realize how close I came to a perfect victory, only to be foiled by you going over my head because you suspect me of betraying the empire. Do you realize how incredibly stupid that sounds?"

"What…I'm a Knight of…"

"Cute. Think about it Knight of Three, why would I hatch some plot to betray the empire under the Emperor's direct watch? Under your watch? Why would I suddenly decide to prepare to declare war on my Father, who possesses the vast resources of the Americas? Let alone with an army as pitiful as the one he has given me, I would be defeated before I even began," Lelouch stated, declaring why outright war with Britannia was a stupid proposition, "I have a thirty percent chance of defeating my father in a game of chess, a game where things start out even. What chance do I have when he holds all the good pieces?"

"I'm…I'm," Gino stuttered and then bowed deeply, "I'm sorry your majesty, I was ordered to investigate you under his Imperial Majesty's orders. You were too clean for his eyes. When I saw a terrorist near your own sister and the special dispatch pilot, I thought you had placed her there to act as a guard and to assassinate a pilot who was on the Knight of Rounds level. Then with her actions at Narita, to try and kill me in that red mech…"

"I told her to make it convincing," Lelouch stated simply, "It is as simple as that. If I thought there was any chance you would actually be killed as a result of her attacking do you think I would have put you on the front lines?"

"Uh…no, I'm sorry," Gino said, and then breathed a sigh of relief, "It's…it's a relief to know where you stand."

"It should have been obvious where I stand when Euphemia was well aware of the basics of this plan and someone as fiercely loyal to the empire as Suzaku is knows the basics as well," Lelouch stated dryly.

"Kururugi knew about this too?" Gino asked in surprise.

"Yes, and I know you and him have been spending a rather large amount of time together recently. Do you think he would remain silent if I was in any way treacherous?" Lelouch asked in all seriousness.

"I…I'm an idiot," Gino said putting a hand to his forehead and making a nervous smile, "I can't believe what an idiot I've been. Can your plan still work?"

"Yes but it is infinitely harder now thanks to your actions. I'll have to keep Kallen Stadtfeld here now, I can risk letting them know she was a spy or that we have managed to get any sort of information out of her," Lelouch sighed, leaning back in his chair, "Don't bother to release her, I'll go do it myself. You're dismissed." Gino vanished immediately, obviously not willing to stick around too long, deciding an angry Lelouch is not a Lelouch you want to be near. When the door closed, Lelouch turned his chair around to look out the windows of his office, and began to chuckle, "Heh, that should keep him off my tail for a while."

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter. Not my best chapter, but I couldn't figure out good transitions. So far, this fic has been in "stage 1" so to speak, consider it one large set-up. This chapter and the next one are the set-up for "stage 2." What is "Stage 2?" Well keep reading and reviewing to find out. Now onto those questions of mine.

1) Well then, with Vain dead, what do you think is going to happen with Mao and G.G.?

2) So far, what has been your favorite "Line" in this fic?

3) So far, what has been your favorite "Scene" in this fic?

And that's all, now press that review button before Lelouch yells at you.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	17. Stage 1: Complete

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass, if I did we'd have twice the sneaky plans

Stats: 365 reviews (26 last chapter), 24791 hits (718 last chapter), 10 c2s, 112 favs, and 120 alerts

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Lelouch made his way for the holding cells in the government headquarters, still amused by his little display of anger at Gino. He knew very well it wouldn't keep him off his tail for long, but it would keep him off his tail long enough to make the crucial moves he'd need to make. Entering the holding cells he found only one had anybody in it, "Well, you just couldn't be a little more careful could you?" Lelouch scolded as he came into view of Kallen, sitting in the cell in her schoolgirl look, "Made me go and reveal my plans to that meddlesome Knight of Rounds."

"What? You mean this…" Kallen asked, the look on her face just screamed that she though Lelouch betrayed her trust.

"Well it's something I took into account when I brought you in on the plan, but no, it's not my doing," Lelouch stated while walking over to a keypad, "But it has given me an opportunity, albeit I would have preferred to go without it and have the original plan."

"Then, everything is going according to your plan?" Kallen asked, Lelouch punching in the code to open the cell.

"More or less. Few rough spots have showed up, but nothing unanticipated yet, stage one is about complete, and stage two will be beginning shortly," Lelouch explained as the cell opened.

"Stage two? You mean everything up till now has just been you preparing?" Kallen asked, Lelouch walking into the cell and undoing bonds that had been placed on her wrists.

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean. And it's considerably less risky than stage one," Lelouch continued to explain, "It's the third stage, where things will become dangerous."

"Three stages? You've planned that far ahead?" Kallen asked, standing up and rubbing her wrists.

"The third stage is fairly unplanned, not much I can do to plan it out," Lelouch admitted, "I can only prepare for it in the second stage, and hope my preparations are enough. Now then, as for your knighting, we'll have to legitimize you to prove I'm not being some stupid kid in my appointment."

"Legitimize?" Kallen asked, "The fact…"

"Unfortunately despite the credit to my name and status, due to the close nature between the Royal Blood and their knights unless I do something to make you look like a legitimate choice, it will be interpreted as me being a hormonal teenager," Lelouch explained, "Even more so if you choose to use the name Kozuki."

"Well then, how do you plan on doing that?" Kallen asked.

"Elementary, I plan on having you go up against the Knight of Three in a sparring match, he'll agree after supposedly ruining my plans," Lelouch smirked and said, "Even match, both of you in the same model of Knightmare. And I won't reveal your name until the Knighting Ceremony, decide which you'd like to use by then. And I can't let you leave this building for four days."

"Four days? Why?"

"That's when I'm going to end everything with the Black Knights, and begin the real plan," Lelouch stated simply, "If you're let out they'll think you exposed information or that you're really a spy. As long as you don't leave they'll think you're holding your tongue."

The next day, in an arena built under the government offices, obviously designed for training solders to pilot a Knightmare. Lelouch sat in a high VIP seat overlooking the stands and the arena itself, around him were various nobles who lived in Japan, and below was a large portion of the army that would normally not be on duty. "My Prince, you have been very close lipped as to who your knight candidate is, and with this test of prowess, you must not be confident that they will be accepted on your word," one of the nobles baited Lelouch, an older man with graying hair.

Lelouch smirked and said, "I'd prefer to just get the shutting you people up about my choice over with ahead of time than to deal with it and then get it over with."

The old noble was flabbergasted at Lelouch's statement while a younger noble just laughed at it, "That's our prince, not one to mince words. So refreshing when compared to the other ones who carefully word their statements so they don't offend anybody."

"But that's something else, you must be fairly confident in your choice," another noble commented, "To set your candidate up against the Knight of Three in an even match."

"If my choice wins, then there is absolutely no room to argue about my choice being inadequate," Lelouch stated simply with a smirk, "Hell, if my choice lasts three minutes there can't be any complaints."

"True, most knights can barely last a minute against a Rounds, let alone the third ranked member. Lasting that long would certainly put your knight at the level of a rounds," a noblewoman stated, and then bowed to Lelouch, "My apologies my lord, I had no idea my wretched daughter-in-law was a terrorist and so close to your sister. We have disowned her for her actions and have sent the official paperwork to expunge her from the family, we had no intentions against your royal personage nor knowledge of that matter."

Lelouch looked at the woman and recognized her as the representative from the Stadtfelds, Lelouch smirked and said, "Whatever, it doesn't matter that much, nothing happened after all." The thought went through his mind that it suddenly became quite clear what name Kallen would choose to use, he laughed inwardly, he'll have to get used to thinking of her as Karen Kozuki now.

A solder walked into the room, "Ah good," he sighed looking out to see the match hasn't started, "You Royal Highness, I have a report on something you should find interesting."

The solder handed Lelouch a small folder, which he immediately opened, "Oh…that was faster than I thought it would be," he commented with a smirk, "With this all three pieces have fallen or will fall shortly."

"Three pieces?" the young noble asked.

"Nothing you should concern yourself with," Lelouch answered, snapping the folder shut, then to the solder he said, "Your group did good work. I was expecting it to take another day or two. Tell them that they are off duty tomorrow. You're dismissed."

"Yes sir," the solder said with a salute and walked out.

The moment the solder left two Glasgow models entered the arena, a red one like the one Kallen had first used at Shinjuku, and Gino's white, blue, and gold Glasgow. Gino using a pair of MVS swords, and the red Glasgow with a Varis Rifle, Lelouch stood up and then grabbed hold of a microphone, "Members of the Britannian Army, my esteemed noble guests, I would like to present to you the Knight of The Gino Weinberg," Lelouch said holding his hand out to Gino's Glasgow as a spotlight shone on it, the room going dark. Then his hand went to the Red Glasgow, "The pilot in the Red Glasgow is my choice of Royal Knight. Who it is inside I won't say, you'll learn who the pilot is at the Knighting ceremony. Now then, as you notice both of them are using new weapons developed recently by Earl Lloyd Asplund, many of you have seen them used by the prototype Seventh Generation frame Lancelot, no that's not the pilot in the red Glasgow so don't ask. They had their choice of weapons from the seventh generation equipment available, Gino chose the MVS Swords while my pilot chose the Varis Rifle. Now then, shall we get this match underway?" With a massive applause from those assembled Lelouch held up his hand as the lights shut down in the stands and turned on to show the complete arena, "Pilots! At your ready. This match will begin…" Lelouch announced and then struck his hand down, "Now!"

The two Glasgow shot out towards each other, seeming to have the exact same idea about how to approach this match. Gino's ducked out of the way of a Varis bullet as Kallen shot out both of her Slash Harken at his landspinners, followed quickly by her extending the tonfa of her Knightmare's free arm to smash into the face of Gino's Glasgow. Gino forced his Knightmare to jump out of the way by clinging to the ceiling with his Slash Harken and then swung out of the way. Kallen had recovered from her attack just as Gino landed, taking Gino's slightly slower recovery time Kallen shot several times with the Varis Rifle forcing him to retreat further.

"Oooh, they're both good. To be able to use their equipment so effectively and pilot even third-rate models like Glasgow so well," the old noble commented.

"It's because they're in Glasgow that they are fighting like that," a noble who had quite a few scars on his face, "Glasgow are suited for high-speed and high-agility combat, in other words the perfect machines to get in and get out quickly. Sutherland and Gloucester are superior but heavier and less agile. The tactics would change significantly if they were in either."

"This fight should be over, and it would be if not for one fact," the young noble commented while watching the fight, "The red Glasgow's pilot isn't used to the Glasgow, in fact it's too sluggish for that pilot."

Kallen was pushed to the defensive after Gino managed to close the distance, weaving in and out from his offensive while trying to find a chance to shoot past him and fire the Varis. It had all ready been four minutes since the match started and neither of them had managed to land a blow or a shot on the other, putting some distance between them Kallen prepared for another straight on attack. She shot the Varis again, shooting a Slash Harken at Gino's landspinner and brought a Tonfa to smash into Gino's Glasgow's head. Gino did the exact same thing as before, anchoring himself in the ceiling in an instant and pulling himself up out of the way of the attack, when Kallen fired the other Slash Harken, taking out his right arm. Which in turn knocked him down onto the floor, Kallen quickly brought the Varis to aim at his cockpit. But at the same time Gino's MVS came up and appeared right next to her cockpit, the two ending up in a stalemate.

Lelouch stood up and looked at the nobles, "Any complaints?" Receiving none he smirked and said, "Good, remember that." He walked forward and then announced to the crowd, "While I hate to admit it, this is a tie match. Good piloting both of you, you do credit to yourself, to the Empire, and certainly each and every person here today."

That night, Lelouch walked into a room in the palace built on the headquarters, where Kallen had been told to stay. "Great piloting," Lelouch told her as he entered, "That'll put any doubts as to your appointment to rest."

"…Yeah, I've decided, what name I'll use," Kallen said to Lelouch and then smiled, "Please call me Karen Kozuki."

"Ah, I figured as much, which is why it was more important to show the nobles and the army you deserve the appointment," Lelouch said to Karen, "With that matter put to rest now it's only a matter of cleaning up the Black Knights."

Gino walked in, "Damn, you could have warned me the girl was the pilot of that red monster," he complained walking in, looking at Karen he said, "I'm glad you didn't have that thing in that match, I would have been decimated."

"Eh?" Karen asked, taken back by Gino's informal attitude.

"Gino Weinberg, the Knight of Three, theoretically the third strongest Knightmare Pilot in the Empire," Lelouch said introducing Gino, and then to Gino he said, "Karen Kozuki, my Royal Knight."

"Ah, Eleven, that would explain why I had to prove you were worthy," Gino said with a laugh, he held his hand out to her and said, "Good match, been a long time since I lost an arm to somebody trying to take me on with a Glasgow, let alone not be able to beat."

"Ah…" Karen said still taken back.

"Relax, he's not going to bite, and he doesn't mean anything by the Eleven remark," Lelouch said.

"Huh? Oh sorry bout that, I should have said Japanese right?" Gino said still holding his hand out, but using his other hand to rub the back of his head.

Karen sighed and then smiled back, taking his hand and shaking, "Don't worry about it, I suppose as long as you don't mean it to be derogatory, it's fine if you slip up."

"But do make an effort to use Japanese, even I only use Eleven when I'm dealing with people like my father," Lelouch stated, "So what's your word on the subject? Did I pick well?"

"Certainly, anybody who can take my arm is worthy of knighthood, let alone someone who can force me into a draw," Gino laughed as he sat down with the two, then he asked, "So when is your Zero going to deliver the terrorists? Your plans stepped up a bit haven't they?"

"He'll bring them in soon enough," Lelouch answered vaguely as a knock came to the door, a light knock, "You don't have to knock you know Euphie."

Euphemia entered the room with a smile and said, "Old habits," she then saw Karen and said, "Hello, I'm Euphemia."

"Ah," Karen said as she stood up and bowed politely, "I'm Karen Kozuki."

"Hey, she didn't stand up for me," Gino whined, causing both Lelouch and Euphemia to laugh.

Lelouch saw Karen's surprised face and said, "Despite how we act in public, in private we're quite laid-back. You'll have to get used to it."

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter. And thus ends "Stage 1" of this fic, "Stage 2" starts next chapter. For those of you who are curious, in the official timeline this would be about right after the Mao Arc. Now onto those questions…

1) I'll give you one guess as to how I'm going to start the next chapter. Here's a hint, it's going to make something official. So what's your guess?

2) How would you rate this fic thus far? In other words, how would you rate "Stage 1" of this fic.

And that's all for now. Now press that review button before Gino smacks you with a MVS sword.

Ciao for now.

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	18. Knight

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass, if I did we'd have the little black cat in every episode, yes that little black cat. Don't get it? You don't watch enough anime.

Well that sucks, email alerts were done for last chapter. If I didn't respond to you like I normally would, well that's because email alerts were down. I do have to admit I was surprised that I still got the reviews like normal despite things having gone down like that.

Stats: 387 Reviews (21 last chapter), 27197 hits (674 last chapter), 11 c2s, 118 favs, and 125 alerts.

* * *

"Earlier today the majority of the infamous terrorist organization the Black Knights were captured, their secret bases exposed all over Area Eleven and shut down. A few members escaped due to the help of the Rei the White Zero. The financial supporters for terrorist activity in Area Eleven have also been discovered according to reports and have been dealt with accordingly. As for the enigmatic Zero himself, no official statements have been released. It has only been a few weeks since Lelouch Vi Britannia walked into the public spotlight to deal with these matters personally and he has done what nobody thought was possible. When asked to comment on why he hasn't appeared before if it was this easy for him he answered that 'Even if he hasn't been in the public spotlight before, that doesn't mean he hasn't been working to eliminate terrorists. The capture of the Black Knights was the culmination of seven years of hard work, careful planning, and more than a few sneaky tricks.' Today the man has shown the world once again why he is known as the Glorious Strategist of Britannia. With this, talk of him being the one who should be named the heir to the Throne have reached an all new high, here in Area Eleven and in the Mainland," TV reporters were broadcasting on every available station.

"It's really amazing I can't believe Lulu was really the Lelouch," Shirley said sitting in the student council room with the rest of the council minus Suzaku and the junior member Nunnally.

"I know, I was surprised when I first found out too, you'd never imagine someone like that would look so normal," Rivalz laughed as the broadcast continued, "I only started believing it during our gambling matches, when he started completely destroying any nobles we came across. It was always incredible."

"If only Kallen's secret was quite so good, I never imagined she'd really be a terrorist, I knew she was a lot stronger than she was pretending to be," Millay said sadly, "It almost seems like a big lie or a mistake."

"What does?" Suzaku asked, the door opening while he pushed Nunnally in her wheelchair into the room.

"Oh, um well Kallen being a…" Millay said, only to see Suzaku's soft expression, unusual given how strongly he felt about the subject of terrorism, "Wait a second…you know something don't you?"

"Maybe," Suzaku said, Nunnally giggling afterwards, everybody else in the room catching on that Nunnally knew whatever it was that Suzaku knew.

"So she's not, then it was all one big mistake?" Shirley said fairly happily.

"Of course it was," C.C. stated, eating pizza while watching the broadcast, "Lelouch isn't so careless as to let a real terrorist near his sister."

"Cecelia-san, you're going to ruin the surprise," Suzaku scolded with a laugh.

"Oh he hasn't told me anything," C.C. said with a smirk, "But it's not that hard to figure out what he's planning."

"She was a spy wasn't she?" Nina asked while working at a computer on some complex model, "She was actually in the Black Knights but she was relaying information to Lelouch right?"

"Uh…classified," Suzaku said in defeat.

"Hey look, they're showing a Knightmare fight on the TV, between the Knight of Three! And…wait…Royal Knight?" Rivalz exclaimed as his eyes went wide, watching the fight that had happened several days ago, "Oh no way."

"It is thanks to this soon to be Royal Knight that the Black Knights have all but been eliminated, that this crucial blow to terrorism was dealt thanks to their careful work by getting into the inner circle of the organization," the announcer continued.

"What?" Millay asked looking at the fight, "Of course he'd be good…well in this case really good."

C.C. chuckled in a manner that told everybody in the room that Millay was missing something. "Think about it for a second," C.C. said, "Specifically what Suzaku just said about Kallen being classified information."

"It can't be…" Shirley said, figuring it out for herself, a defensive sound to her voice, and then to cover it up she quickly added, "Kallen's that good of a Knightmare pilot?

"Kallen, she was chosen to be a Royal Knight," Nina said in surprise, Millay catching on just before she spoke.

The broadcast then switched to a Throne room, Lelouch sitting a the head with the many nobles of the area standing in the room. Lelouch was wearing heavy black and gold ceremonial royal clothing, making him look rather imposing despite being fairly physically unimposing normally. The doors to the room opened and Karen walked into the room. A solder wearing ceremonial armor stood up and walked in front of Lelouch, "For exemplary service to the Britannian Empire and for truly superior combat skill, you have been chosen for the position of Royal Knight," the solder said, "You may now approach the throne."

Karen slowly walked towards the throne, she herself wearing a long white coattails jacket and white pants, with all manner of frills and decorations. At her side was a long and thin longsword, a ceremonial weapon and nothing more. She came before the throne and knelt down, Lelouch standing up after she had done so. "Karen Kozuki, are you prepared to except the responsibilities of knighthood, to fight for Britannia as its champion?"

"Kozuki? Isn't that a Japanese name?" Shirley asked Suzaku who nodded.

"Hai, she's half Japanese from what I was told," Suzaku answered, "She's apparently decided to use her Japanese name for this."

Elsewhere, off the coast of Africa, the purple haired warrior princess Cornelia Li Britannia was watching a broadcast of the ceremony, "A number? Little brother, another of your pro-integration moves?" Cornelia commented, taking a sip of tea.

"I wouldn't say that my princess, she is truly suited for the position," a large tanned man with a rather large scar across his face commented, "To fight evenly with a Knight of Rounds."

"He's played this move well, he proved she was worthy of the position before he announced her name," Cornelia stated with narrowed eyes, "But Lelouch, what else is he planning? This is not all there is."

The broadcast continued, Karen answering, "Yes, your highness."

"Do you pledge to be the shield of the Empire, to protect it against its enemies, to be its sword to strike down those who would dare harm us? To work for the greater good of the empire?"

Off the coast of Europe, the broadcast was being watching by the calm blond haired second prince of Britannia, Schneizel El Britannia. "I always wondered what sort of person he would choose," Schneizel commented with an almost disinterested look, "He's certainly chosen a powerful knight. And a great tool to calm his area's terrorist activities. Wouldn't you agree Kanon?"

"Yes, a well calculated move, you can tell he's your little brother my lord," a brown haired man in a green uniform replied.

Schneizel laughed at that, "You can tell he's my brother from this choice."

The broadcast played on, Karen answering, "Yes, your highness."

Karen unsheathed her sword and then held it by its crossguard and blade, the blade pointed at her heart, out to Lelouch. Lelouch took the blade and then after she let go brought it up to split the image of his face into two halves, then he lowered it and lightly tapped the blade on both of her shoulders, "I, Lelouch Vi Britannia, eleventh Prince of Britannia and seventeenth in line to the throne, ordain you Dame Karen Kozuki."

In the Britannia mainland, Charles Di Britannia, the Emperor of Britannia, sat on his throne, alone in his throne room save for one person, watching the broadcast. "Say, Charles, this is the child that you said could one day prove bothersome isn't it?" a small boy asked, the boy had long flowing hair and was un usually disinterested in what he was watching.

"Yes, he only continue to proves himself dangerous, to have accomplished what I thought with his pathetic clinging to his policies of integration would be impossible. To quiet Area Eleven so," Charles answered with a smile, "Zero, a rather interesting plan on his part. I would never have thought he would be capable of such a plan."

"What do you think of this choice then?" the small boy asked.

"Heh, it is certainly appropriate. Whether he likes it or not, he has become a great deal like myself," Charles laughed, "More so than even Schneizel."

"Which is why he is so dangerous," the small boy summarized.

"Ah, indeed that is correct, V.V."

The broadcast continued, "May your courage, your strength, and your devotion become a shining example to the people of the empire." Lelouch then held the sword out horizontally, Kallen retrieving and sheathing it. Lelouch then motioned for her to rise and face the audience. At first no one clapped, the nobles having recovered from their shock that he had appointed a number. Well save one, which Lelouch wasn't surprised about, Earl Lloyd Asplund wasn't the type to care about things like race. However to his right Gino Weinberg stood and glared at the crowd as he started clapping, he wasn't too happy that they were being so rude. To his left, Euphemia had been clapping as long as Lloyd, but her claps were far quieter. The entire room reluctantly burst into clapping, one could see each and everyone of them wanted to say something about a number being raised to such a position, but the way Lelouch had played his hand made it impossible for them to even criticize his choice without insulting him, something not a single one of them wanted to do.

"All across Area Eleven a chorus of cheering has erupted," the news reporters on every channel said, the ceremony being over, "Eleven, Honorary Britannian, and Britannians themselves. There are few who would argue against this rather unique but appropriate choice by Prince Lelouch Vi Britannia, the Glorious Strategist of Britannia. However one question seems to be on everybody's mind with this moment in history. What is exactly the status of Elevens now? What…"

"Well planned move," G.G. said sitting in an underground room in the Ghettos outside the settlement, "We'll have to be more careful, using the Japanese has become much more difficult."

"I don't see how, so what if he made a Japanese a Knight?" Mao asked leaning against a wall, his Rei helmet off but wearing the rest of the outfit.

"Now the Japanese have a legitimate hope that they could one day be raised to first class citizens. With a Royal Knight coming from their ranks it raises their status just enough to plant the idea in the Britannian's minds that they are worthy of attention and respect. Lelouch Vi Britannia planned this knighthood well, the whole broadcast was aimed to do one thing, to prove his choice is without doubt the best choice. By making that choice Japanese, he's effectively shattered the common person's idea of what they're like. He's likely made himself the enemy of a great many nobles by this though, and likely has angered his family as well, especially that father of his," G.G. explained, "Well then, we should see where those Black Knights we saved stand, against someone who could kill Vain so easily, we'll need something more." Mao prepared to pick up his helmet to put it on when G.G. spoke again, "Don't bother."

"Eh? We'll be letting them see my face?" Mao asked, surprised that he wouldn't have to put the mask on again.

"No," G.G. replied as she led Mao into an adjoining room, where members of the core Black Knights were sitting around looking rather despondent, with them were four people who were heroes to the Japanese, the four holy swords. They looked up and saw the two, and that Mao was Chinese instead of Japanese like they thought he'd be, and more surprising his eyes were glowing, "I'm G.G. and this is Mao, who was and still is Rei."

"Ah, I'm Kaname Ogi," Ogi said standing up and walking over, "I'm surprised, you're not…"

"No we aren't. Mao is here to rescue someone he cares about and I'm here because Britannia has something I want. I'm willing to create Japan for you again to get it," G.G. stated simply and to the point, "His eyes are empowered with what is called 'The Power of the King.' His power is that of Telepathy, meaning he can read your minds."

"That's hard to believe that this…" a harsh looking woman began to say, one of the four holy swords.

"Chinese man could possible read minds, and of course he could read such a simple sentence. 'All right try to read, Konjiku, Junpaku, Seiren…okay how is he guessing that?'" Mao recited, the woman's eyes going wide in surprise, "Need I do more? And you, Tamaki, stop imagining what G.G. looks like naked and take this seriously. I'd rather not have to listen to such crude thoughts."

"As you can see, Mao is the real deal. However he himself is not a very good pilot, until recently we had another power at our command that made it possible for him to go against the Britannian Army, the power of 'Infinite Inspiration.' The man who possessed it was killed by Lelouch Vi Britannia, who possesses a power himself. We haven't been close enough to him to learn what it is. Whatever it is, it's powerful enough that he was willing to risk his life by playing the part of Zero."

"Zero…you mean we've been…" Tamaki exclaimed as the entire room looked shocked.

"Yes, the Black Knights were one big plan by Lelouch Vi Britannia for one purpose. To cease terrorist activities. Karen Kozuki was obviously tricked by him to believe his was the only way the Japanese people could prosper, through Britannia. His ways will never work," G.G. stated, "However amongst you, three people possess the potential to gain a power like Mao's, a Power of the King. At least I can awaken three of you to such a power. However in exchange, you will pledge to bring me what I desire. With this power though, you will be able to gain Japan. Do you accept?"

"How can we trust you? You look like some…" Tamaki objected.

"She's European not Britannian," Mao stated simply, "And one of the only people I can read their mind. She is immortal, the concept of loyalty to a county is meaningless to her. She just wants something called the Sword of Akasha."

Ogi was the first to break the resulting silence from Mao's statement, "Okay I'm in."

Everybody soon agreed after Ogi did, they all figured this was their last chance. "Good, You, Ogi right? I can give you a power," G.G. stated.

"Why can't you just give us all powers?" Tamaki asked, squatting down on some rubble.

"Only certain people have the potential and I can only awaken certain people myself," G.G. replied, "Kaname Ogi, you possess the potential. However should you accept this contract you will live as a human yet apart from humans, gaining this power will lead to a lonely life above other humans. Do you accept this contract, to gain this power in exchange for granting one wish of mine?"

"Ah, indeed, if it will bring Japan back to us all, I accept the responsibility," G.G. then put her index and ring finger on Ogi's forehead. "What…what's going on?" Ogi asked his eyes darting about, and then they both took on the red glow and symbol Mao had in his eyes, then it turned off. "Steel…Morale?" Ogi asked, blinking in astonishment, "A power…that can instill total confidence and courage into one's comrades." Ogi quickly turned to Tamaki and asked, "Can I test this on you?"

"Sure, it doesn't sound too bad," Tamaki said as Ogi's eyes turned back on with the symbol, Tamaki's eyes getting a red rim about them, "Wow…that…that feels pretty good."

"You, the woman in the uniform," G.G. said pointing at the woman from before, "You can get a power as well."

"My name is Nagisa Chiba," she said, walking forward, "Fine I accept your conditions. Your power should help me rescue Toudou-san."

G.G. touched her forehead and then Chiba smirked, "Absolute Perception," she said simply, her eyes having gained the Geass symbol as well, which then turned off, "Rather annoying if it was always on."

G.G. then turned to the purple haired man with glasses, "You, with the glasses, you as well,"

"Heh, that's a surprise, I would never have imagined I was something special, I'm Yoshitaka Minami," he said walking forward, "I'll accept." G.G. put her fingers to his forehead and then he chuckled, "Well that's unusual, my power is called Linker."

"Linker?" G.G. asked, having no idea what it was, "What does it do?"

"Apparently I can link the minds of people together. For now it seems I have to be able to have direct eye contact though," he commented, "Very unusual power. I can see how it can be used though."

G.G. smirked as she mused, "I wonder if the effects of a Power would also transfer with that effect? Well then, now it's time to tally how many Black Knights are left."

Meanwhile, in the settlement, Lelouch was sitting in an empty meeting room waiting for someone, well empty save himself and Karen. His wait was soon over as a blond dark-skinned woman was brought into the room by a pair of solders, "Raksharta Chawla, a pleasure to meet your acquaintance," Lelouch said, the solders leaving and closing the door behind them.

"Lelouch Vi Britannia, I must admit I never imagined I would be captured so easily," the woman said, walking over and sitting in a chair opposite of him, at the moment she seemed like she wasn't being truly detained, "What can I do for the Dragon of the East?"

"First of all, I must compliment you. The Guren is a work of art, especially the Fukushahado," Lelouch stated with a smile as several maids walked in carrying tea, leaving it on a table and then leaving, "I've never seen anything like it before, and I have a genius of my own on my payroll."

"Lloyd eh?" Raksharta asked, then looking at Karen she asked her, "You're the pilot right? What do you think of my child?"

"Ah, yes. It's truly a great knightmare, I can tell how much work you put into it," Karen replied nervously.

"I see," Raksharta said, taking a deep breath and looking at Lelouch again, "So then, Prince Lelouch. You obviously haven't pressed charges against my illegal entering of Japan or my support of terrorist activities. So I assume you want to make use of me, is this correct?"

"Naturally, if my plans to conquer Britannia are to go through then I need talented people like yourself," Lelouch said nonchalantly.

"…You're much more interesting than I thought you would be," Raksharta said, smiling now and relaxing some, "What do you think you can accomplish with such a small nation as a starting point?"

"That's why I want you. Your presence here is currently not publicly or privately known except by a select group of solders loyal to me alone. I will give you access to all information pertaining to Lloyd Asplund's seventh generation project and your own facilities for the production of whatever you find yourself in need of. Complete funding by myself to develop and perfect new technology for me so that I may wage my war when the time comes. Of course I assume your actions of supporting the terrorists in my territory had another motive that is far from altruistic. Perhaps you sought to independence or at least the improvement of your own country's India?"

"You understand that well. Yes that is correct, if I ally with you, you will do so?" Raksharta asked taking a pipe out from her coat.

"Ah, I had planned on doing so eventually regardless, the situation there is deplorable. I can't stand by and let it continue forever," Lelouch stated simply, "I suppose you could call me a bit of an idealist."

"Well then, I suppose I'll just have to accept this proposal of yours," Raksharta said with a smile, "This should be interesting."

"Ah indeed it will," Lelouch said with a smirk, "I look forward to what you can do."

"What of those you captured?" Raksharta asked, "You realize that there is a lot of talent that could be used there don't you?"

"I do. To those who don't know any better, they'll have been executed," Lelouch stated simply with a smirk, "I would be a fool to throw someone like Toudou Kyoshiro away, let alone an army."

Later that afternoon, Lelouch had finally gotten a moment to relax, sitting in the garden atop the government headquarters. Taking out a cellphone he dialed a number and then waited for an answer, "It's me Lelouch. Heh, good to hear you again too. Its been a very busy month, I'm just glad the majority of it is over now. Ah, that's good, because I was planning on coming back Monday…On such short notice?" Lelouch laughed and then said, "I'll see you next week Millay."

* * *

And that's where I'll end things for this chapter. Gotta say, I'm not a bit surprised this one went longer than chapter 1, it is the start of Stage 2 after all. Yeah, everybody can see the conflict that's going to be happening now. Well then onto the questions…

1) Out of the three original Geass I introduced, which one do you think is the best?

2) Do you think I'll kill one (or more) of those three like I did Vain? If so, which one do you think it will be? I will confirm this, at least one of them will survive this stage (but maybe all of them will so don't read too much into that). Remember though, I've never said I was a fan of any of them unlike me flat out saying I'm a fan of Toudou.

3) Anybody want to take a guess as to who is getting Gawain?

4) I've stated before I don't use foreign words (foreign to me, in other words not-English) unless it's important to the plot for some reason, which means that "Konjiku, Junpaku, and Seiren" are important to the plot. Take a guess as to why those words will be important. Bonus points if you get the reference.

And that is all, now press that review button before Cornelia gets mad at you.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	19. The Black Prince Launches

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass, if I did I wouldn't have to make disclaimers.

Stats: 416 reviews (25 last chapter), 29551 hits (683 last chapter), 12 c2s, 123 favs, and 134 alerts.

* * *

It had been all of one day since Lelouch Knighted Karen when a knock came on Lelouch's office door, when Lelouch bid the knocker to enter it was revealed to be Jeremiah Gottwald, "Ah, Gottwald, I trust you've done the research I asked you to?"

"Yes, your highness," Jeremiah said walking and closing the door, bowing the moment the door was closed, he handed Lelouch a plain manila folder, "These are those whose loyalties don't lie ultimately with yourself my prince. The Rounds and the candidates I didn't bother asking considering their position, and it may draw undue attention to yourself."

"Yes, despite restoring some of your status due to your service in the Narita battle it wouldn't have made it enough to make a casual conversation appropriate there," Lelouch stated simply, flipping through the people listed in the folder, "Good, none of the solders assigned to the prisons."

"Your highness?" Jeremiah asked, but afraid to finish the question.

"I hate throwing away useful people, Toudou Kyoshiro is exceptionally useful, as are the Black Knights. They would form a very convenient army for myself, giving me the chance I need to take China," Lelouch stated simply and with a smirk, "Which was ever so kind to provide me a large number of resources believing I could never make use of it to the degree where I could threaten them. Rather stupid on their part. The Japanese are a fairly resourceful and powerful people when they have the chance."

Jeremiah was a little shocked at that, "I always knew you were planning it, but to use numbers…"

"Jeremiah, you are a purist are you not?" Lelouch asked looking Jeremiah in the eye.

"Ah, yes your highness,"

"The most crucial aspect of being a Britannian is as my father has said, the strong will prosper. If I can gain a powerful army, one greater than what I possess now, then I will without hesitation do so, regardless of the origins of their birth and social status. That is the will of Britannia, to be strong. This area has had a strong mind and a strong immune system, made up of we Britannians, but it has had a weak body for a long time. It is high time to have a strong body, there is no better way to do that than to integrate the Japanese," Lelouch stated simply, making it perfectly clear to Jeremiah where his opinions stood, "Oppressing numbers has always been Britannia's ultimate weakness, we don't make use of the millions upon millions of people who would gladly fight for us, work with us, and prosper with us. You have seen the Ghettos, imagine if that land was put to good use instead of being in the sorry state we have left it in because of our pride."

"…I see, it makes sense…but it could never work, they would…"

"Toudou is willing to work with us, with him we can get the Black Knights to agree as well," Lelouch stated simply.

"But why did you have me scout out who wouldn't follow you to the end?" Jeremiah asked.

"Because they won't reveal that I'm doing this. This would take far too much explaining that it's just far easier to just do it and then explain later when I've completed the goal," Lelouch explained, "Better to do something and regret it than to not do anything. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Ah, yes your highness," Jeremiah said, just as Lelouch pulled a file of his own from his desk.

"I've stumbled across something recently, something called Code-R, from what I can tell it is a human enhancement project. It has some pretty impressive applications if it were to ever be completed. I regret shutting it down without examining it further like I did," Lelouch said, and then tossed the folder to Jeremiah, "I'm getting a group together to take over this project, I couldn't find the original researchers and they took a lot of data with them. However when the time comes they will need a test subject."

"Me?" Jeremiah asked nervously.

"Yes, in exchange I'll restore your rank, no in fact I'll raise it from what it once was, two ranks. Normally it would take a decade to accomplish that," Lelouch said with a smirk, "It's dangerous, but the potential payoff would be great for both you and myself. Read the file, you can decide in a few days, I'm in no hurry to receive an answer."

"Yes, Your highness," Jeremiah said as he placed the file in the crook of his arm, clicked his heels together, saluted, and then left.

"Such a serious person," Lelouch said with a chuckle, "People like that can be so easy to control…" Lelouch narrowed his eyes, looking at his door, then slightly to the left of the door, "Come in." The door opened and in came Anya Earlstreim, "How much did you hear?"

"All of it," Anya said without a hint of emotion, she was just looking at him.

"I see…" Lelouch said slowly, normally he'd be able to have an idea of whether someone was just gloating about bringing him down, if they wanted something, or if they were really on his side, but Anya, he couldn't read her.

"I want to help," Anya said, seeing Lelouch was at a loss for words at the moment.

Lelouch blinked and chuckled, "Well then, I suppose there is certainly something I can have you do."

"What is it?" Anya asked, neither sharply nor softly.

"You're all but confirmed as a Knight of Rounds, I would like you to see Lloyd Asplund and have him design a custom frame to your liking," Lelouch stated simply, quickly filling out some paperwork to hand to Anya, "And if you don't get promoted, I'll have a Custom Frame fitting for someone of your skill and you would be welcome to stay here under my command."

"Understood," Anya said taking to paperwork that was handed to her and then walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Lelouch sighed, "Wow, I lucked out…I think," he said to himself and then he suddenly made a displeased face, he just remembered that the last time he mentioned getting Anya to join him he was called a Lolicon by Gino, "…I hope that rumor doesn't get spread around."

Later that night, Lelouch was sitting quietly at his desk, things having calmed down considerably since he Knighted Karen. Euphemia was at an art exhibition and Karen was helping Lloyd collect some test data by fighting with Suzaku in a Knightmare battle. Lloyd himself being rather annoyed that he wasn't allowed to deconstruct the Guren to see how everything worked. When something Lelouch had never thought he'd hear again come blaring on an emergency channel, "The Black Knights have attacked Prison C, repeat the Black Knights have attacked Prison…" Lelouch immediately shut it off and then brought up a communication channel to the Research and Development team.

"Lloyd! Mobilize the Lancelot and tell Karen to mobilize the Guren if she's still there. Prison C is under attack, looks like the remnants of the Black Knights are on the move!" Lelouch ordered.

"They left already your majesty," Lloyd said nonchalantly in response to Lelouch, "They shouldn't take more than a few minutes to get on the scene. And I must say the plans for the new Knightmares are well underway. The one for Knight of Three are only waiting for some results on the flight pack technology before official construction can begin, and the one for the girl you sent down earlier needs the Hadron Technology finished."

"Good, I'll leave you to your work then," Lelouch said as he turned the channel off and stormed out of his office, he was heading towards the Knightmare hangers, he was going out to battle himself.

At the prison, four Knightmare that were shaped like the Gekka had just finished clearing out the Sutherland assigned to guard the prison, inside each one was a member of the Holy Swords. "This is Chiba, it's all clear," Chiba's voice came over a general channel, "Wait…I hear something…two Knightmare coming in fast from outside the prison."

"That ability of yours is really handy," the oldest member of the Holy Swords said.

"Yes, that it is Senba, get ready, if I'm right we're in for the real fight now," Chiba said as she brandished a chainsaw katana with her Knightmare.

Just then both the Lancelot and the Guren leaped over the wall of the Prison, "This is Kozuki Karen, Lelouch Vi Britannia's Knight, stand down and surrender, I don't want to have to fight you."

"Royal Knight, tch," Chiba growled while charging forward, "I'll take care of the traitor, can the rest of you handle the White one?"

"Piece of cake," the member of the Holy Swords with the glasses, Asahina Shogo, stated.

"Karen, they're splitting up," Suzaku said as an image on a secure channel appeared to both their Knightmares, it was Lelouch in a black pilot suit in a Knightmare, "Lelouch…"

"Keep them busy, play by their rules for the time being but keep them there. We're currently evacuating the streets in the area and mobilizing our forces. When I give the word chase them out," Lelouch said with a smirk.

"But, why are you taking the field yourself, your highness," Suzaku quickly added.

"Heh, despite not being an ace like the two of you, I'm not helpless in a Knightmare," Lelouch replied with a laugh, "If the King won't move, how can he expect his subject to? If you're worried about me take them out before I get a chance to put myself in trouble."

"Yes, your highness," Karen immediately replied, charging forward to meet Chiba headon.

"Understood," Suzaku replied as the message ended, he launching off to face the remaining members of the Holy Swords.

At the Britannian Headquarters, "All units! We are going to use ambush tactics here. The enemy's goal is likely to free the Black Knights and Toudou Kyoshiro. The City streets have been cleared but don't carelessly fire your weapons, there are still civilians in the buildings likely that we can't evacuate. Now, launch!" Lelouch ordered as he launched first, in a black Gloucester with a pair of elongated horns the bent at a ninety-degree angle backwards and a strangely larger torso than other Gloucesters that were launching after him, and certainly larger than the Sutherland after that. It wasn't long until the prison came into view, when a White Sutherland appeared, "Proceed with the plan!" Lelouch ordered as he stopped, aiming his Knightmare rifle at the White Sutherland, "I'll take Rei. The Holy Swords are the ones we need to worry about."

"Brave words, you know how strong I am afterall," Rei transmitted from his Knightmare.

Lelouch opened a secured channel to the White Sutherland while turning off other communications and said, "Hello, Mao."

"Impossible…you know…then you should know you can't beat me," Mao said, dropping his Rei act.

"Oh I don't think so, you see, without your friend, I doubt you're really capable of a whole lot, in fact I'm willing to bet you're really an amateur pilot relying on it, that wonderful telepathy of yours," Lelouch replied with a chuckle.

At the prison Chiba gasped, "He knows about it?" she said, avoiding another attempt from Karen to grasp onto her Knightmare while counterattacking only to barely miss when her attack was dodged.

"Who knows what?" Senba asked over the communication line.

"Lelouch Vi Britannia, he knows about the Power of the King, he knows about G.G., he knows someone named C.C., and he knows about Mao's power….Geass?" Chiba transmitted and then she backed away from Karen, "The power of absolute command…the ability to rob someone of their free will."

"He has a power too…and something so frightening. That…that's leaps and bounds above what you or the other two can do. And it's…it's more frightening than Mao's ability to read minds," Asahina added, pushing Suzaku back for a bit, "Are there any weaknesses?"

"I don't know, he's not thinking about them so Mao doesn't know," Chiba replied, gritting her teeth, "At this rate, we're going to have to escape without Toudou…"

* * *

And that's where I'll end things this chapter. No surprises here, we all know what I'm going to do next chapter, another nice big battle chapter. Now onto the questions…

1) What do you think of Lelouch's custom mech (I figured he needed one seeing as how he was the Governor of highly unstable area)? And why do you think his Gloucester is slightly larger than normal? I'll give you a clue, if you look up what Gloucester have you'll be able to figure it out by thinking what would Lelouch like off that list.

2) I've given a pretty good clue what Absolute Perception does this chapter since there were a lot of people who couldn't figure it out last chapter. So now that you have an idea what it does, which original Geass do you like most? And just to say this now, Minami used his Linker on Mao and Chiba, just to explain what was going on there at the end.

3) Do you think all of the current members of Rei's Black Knights (It'll get a real name soonis) are going to escape this fight? And what do you think happened to Toudou's custom Gekka? It hasn't shown up yet after all.

4) Those who have been visiting my forum here know I'm certainly a LelouchxAnya fan, but here's the question. Will I make that pairing an official pairing in this fic or am I just teasing the other LelouchxAnya fans?

And that's all, now press that review button before Lelouch runs you over in his Knightmare.

Ciao for now!

Tis has been a message from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	20. Circe

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass, if I did we'd have had Lelouch's Geass evolve already

Stats: 445 reviews (29 last chapter), 31337 hits (604 last chapter), 12 c2s, 127 favs, and 137 alerts

* * *

"Your Highness, that's probably Rei, you said yourself he was probably as good as the Knight of One," a communication came to Lelouch over a secure line for the Britannian Forces, a group of Sutherland from the back of the army catching up, "Let us help you."

"No need, I have a feeling this isn't quite the same Rei," Lelouch laughed as he took out a pair of Knightmare Rifles, "Go on ahead, I'm not the best pilot in the world, but with the amount of ammo I'm ready to waste on this guy who dares cause me trouble, I really don't have to be. The Holy Swords are the ones we want to take care of."

"…Yes, your highness," the squad of Sutherland said as they passed the two of them up.

"I see you don't want to be interrupted," Mao said over their channel.

"Indeed," Lelouch said with a smile, aiming both of his knightmare rifles at Mao, "Well then, lets see which of us is a worse pilot."

"Don't you mean better?" Mao asked, then sighed, "Haha, very funny."

"I'm willing to bet I'm the better pilot, but that Telepathy ability of yours really evens the playing field for you Mao," Lelouch said with a chuckle and then shut the channel off, done listening and speaking to Mao, "Well then, I know you can hear me, lets see if skill can overcome your advantage."

Mao charged forward while Lelouch quickly backpedaled, firing both rifles forcing Mao off to the side, and then two cylinders popped out Lelouch's Gloucester's chest. "Chaos Grenades?" Mao said wide-eyed when he realized Lelouch had aimed them both at him.

In the prison the fight between the Holy Swords in their Gekka, Kallen in her Guren, and Suzaku in the Lancelot continued. "Kozuki, tell me, how sure are you that your will is your own?" Chiba asked Karen after another draw at trying to hit each other, "How sure are you that your precious little prince hasn't brainwashed you with that power of his, that Geass?"

"Geass? What are you talking about?" Karen asked, breaking radio silence, Chiba smirked inside her Knightmare, she had hit a nerve.

"A special power held in your prince's left eye, the ability to rob someone of their free will. So you didn't know," Chiba said as her own power shined in her eyes, "Something like that, hard to believe isn't it?"

"Yeah it is, which means you're just trying to trick me!" Karen yelled, firing her single Slash Harken while charging forward again.

"I can see it, right through your technique with my power," Chiba revealed slicing through the chord of the Slash Harken and then shooting out of the way of the charge, "I wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't seen a power like that with my own eyes, or I didn't have one myself. To the right!"

"What?" Karen gasped in surprise as a Slash Harken came flying out from Chiba's unit the moment she had started to turn right, which she was barely able to avoid the attack, "How did you…"

"Back and then forward," Chiba predicted just as Karen was about to do so, "I can hear it, your Knightmare preparing it's every move, you should have attacked me more aggressively first, now you can't defeat me…What?" Chiba shot off to the side as the Lancelot tried to sneak attack her from behind.

"Karen, whatever she's saying to you don't listen, turn off all channels but the secured one," Suzaku said as Chiba charged for him now, "What…that speed, like Rei's?"

Suzaku's cockpit was cut open on the top and right side by Chiba's sword, Suzaku himself barely avoiding getting cut in half himself.

"…And the White Knight barely avoided getting himself cut in half…Is that…It is, its Kururugi Suzaku piloting the first seventh generation frame produced by Britannia," an announcer blared over the television in the Student Council room, the entire student council save for those at the scene were watching this scene, having dropped what they were doing.

"Suzaku," Nunnally said, concerned about her friend, "He was doing something so dangerous all this time?"

"Nunnally don't worry," Rivalz immediately told her, "Suzaku's doing so well, he only got careless right there…"

"This is new, in all my time I've never seen this Knightmare be fielded before, its a Black Gloucester that is fighting by itself the White Sutherland belonging to the mysterious Rei. Wait a second…it possesses the Royal Seal on its head, Lelouch Vi Britannia has taken the field and is brilliantly fighting one-on-one with Rei the man known for being all but undefeatable!" the announcer spoke up as the Camera switched to a highway battle between Lelouch and Mao in their respective mechs, Lelouch was forcing Mao to the opposite end of an enormous ambush plan, "I've never seen a Knightmare quite like this one, it appears far larger than the many Gloucester lining the streets right now."

"Nii-sama," Nunnally said, even more worried now.

"Nunnally don't worry about it, it's Lulu, he wouldn't do something like this unless he was sure he would win would he?" Shirley tried cheering Nunnally up, "Isn't that right Cecelia?"

"He's taken bigger risks than what he is doing now, he'll be fine," C.C. answered without really trying to sound consoling, more like she was simply stating the truth.

Lelouch meanwhile had Mao about where he wanted him and Mao knew it and couldn't do anything about it, "Mao, I know you hear this," Lelouch said to himself with a smirk, "I know you also know what's about to happen, so lets see if you can do anything about it." Lelouch turned on his communications with his army and said, "Execute the plan!"

At the prison, the command came through and both Karen and Suzaku smiled as they put distance between themselves and the Holy Swords. "Like that'll work," Chiba chuckled, "We're not that stupid, we aren't leaving without Toudou…Wait, what was…"

"Banzai!" Gino's voice came over a general channel while a new Knightmare dropped from the sky from a carrier-plane, two MVS swords out. This Knightmare looked like a slightly less sophisticated version of the Lancelot, like it was a prototype for the Lancelot. He missed the Holy Swords, but Karen and Suzaku were quick on the pickup, forcing all of them out the front gates.

"Damn it, Mao didn't read that, this is bad…" Chiba said while the three Aces chased them away from the entrance and into the large ambush Lelouch had set outside.

Lelouch chuckled as he listened to the reports that the plan worked perfectly, and he no longer cared if Mao could read his mind, now he just had to push Mao into the middle of the trap and things would be going according to plan. "This is point theta, we've just been…" the transmission cut off causing Lelouch to start to get worried, something had just taken out the most important spot.

Then from the distance he saw something black coming quickly towards him, "Oh crap," Lelouch said, backpedaling again, "What the hell is that?"

"G.G.!" Mao yelled out over a general channel, possibly by accident when he said, "Oops…"

Lelouch's eyes went wide as the Knightmare came into view, G.G., the Contractor he heard about from Vain, "All units! Forget the Holy Swords!" Lelouch yelled out orders as he sent the image to every knightmare in the operation, "I want that pilot! Dead or alive that pilot must be taken down immediately! Gino, take Karen and Suzaku and take down the current targets by any means necessary. You three should be able to handle them, especially because you're in the Lancelot Club now."

"Yes, your majesty," Gino said with great enthusiasm.

Lelouch smirked in an almost feral manner, seeing the black knightmare G.G. was piloting, two great red tufts sticking out above it's main body, "G.G., the one behind Rei, the one whose trying to destroy all my efforts, I'll take you down. You won't get away from here." Lelouch turned on his secure line and broadcast, "Sherrie, Earlstreim, Leveque! Break ranks and join the fray immediately." Lelouch then pressed a button on the side of his controls, causing panels all over his Knightmare to open up, "Full barrage," he said simply, launching a great many missiles from his Knightmare's body straight at Mao and G.G.

"That trick won't work on the likes of me," G.G. said simply on an open channel while charging forward instead of running away like Mao was attempting.

"Oh really?" Lelouch responded on the same channel, pushing the button again, causing each and every missile to suddenly explode right around G.G., while they were not large missiles, they certainly packed a punch. The road below her cracked and fell downwards into the lower sections of the Settlement, and Lelouch wasted no time following her down, Anya and Sherrie right behind him while Leveque stayed behind the keep Mao busy.

"Your highness, why the sudden change of plans?" Sherrie broadcast while they chased G.G. waiting for a good shot.

"The pilot in that suit is the real threat. The one behind Rei and the rescue of the Black Knights that escaped our net. We take this one down and we effectively take down the remaining parts of the rebellion," Lelouch answered quickly, "I can't imagine why she came out on her own like this."

"Trap," Anya suggested in her usual monotone.

"Without a doubt, but its not like we couldn't handle it," Lelouch chuckled, "I haven't used half of my ordinance yet. If this is a trap I can take care of it while you two take her down, I get the feeling I can't take her down myself."

"Understood," Anya replied.

"Got it," Sherrie answered.

Then G.G. did something unexpected, she immediately reversed, turned the giant knightmare sword she was carrying and cut through Sherrie's Knightmare. Sherrie managed to eject but then G.G. shot a Slash Harken up and through her ejected cockpit, then pulled it back. "Sherrie!" Lelouch yelled while he and Anya turned about, "Sherrie report!"

"Heh…looks like she got me," Sherrie's voice came weakly, "She's good…"

Lelouch gritted his teeth, "Earlstreim…we're pulling back," Lelouch said reluctantly, his voice was full of bloodlust, he wanted G.G.'s head now, she killed an unarmed opponent, and did it right in front of him. Lelouch quickly shot over to the damaged cockpit and lifted it up, dropping his rifles, "Cover me, we might be able to save her still."

"….Ye, yes," Anya said, slightly shaken, even she had just been overwhelmed by how easily G.G. just got through their defenses.

"Retreating to save the life of a subordinate, useful information," G.G's voice broadcasted, almost gloating, "Well then, Black Prince, I look forward to our next confrontation."

With that G.G. retreated herself, Lelouch and Anya made their way quickly out of the path, the nearer they came to the whole leading underground he started hearing reports about the rest of the battle, the Holy Swords and Mao managed to escape. But not without damage, sometime halfway through the battle they suddenly got a lot more ferocious, as if some sort of frenzy came over them. "This battle, while a technical success…it was a failure," Lelouch growled as he lifted himself upwards with his Slash Harken, hitting the side of his cockpit, his communication channels off save for the incoming ones, "G.G. she's a genuinely good pilot, not like Mao was being enhanced by that Vain. She's a genuinely good pilot."

"This is Gino…who got hit…oh dear god…" Gino said seeing that the cockpit had been hit in a way that was only possible after it had ejected, he was in shock that someone would break what's considered an unwritten rule of knightmare combat, "She ejected and was then…that's…"

"Yeah I know," Lelouch said turning his outgoing communications back on, not even trying to hide his anger over this, "We need to get her to a hospital ASAP, there may be a chance still. I got careless, just six Knighmares, I underestimated them."

The TV reporter began speaking again, "This is…Lelouch Vi Britannia just brought out an ejected cockpit…it's been…the chutes are out…and it was hit, the remnants of the Black Knights, they aimed to kill an ejected pilot…I've never seen anything like this before."

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter. I assume some people think I'm playing that last part up a bit much. But look at the show again, it would be so easy to shoot down the cockpits after they eject but nobody ever does. Nobody regardless of their side or how important the one who ejected is to the story. Like it's an unwritten rule to not shoot down a pilot after they've been defeated. Hence the end of this chapter. We also have Lelouch's first defeat in this fic, which probably was a slight shock to a lot of you (especially considering everybody who reviewed guessed this would end in at least some of the Holy Swords defeat), though only a defeat because of the cost of achieving their goal of keeping Toudou away from the Holy Swords. Now onto the questions…

1) Well then, while technically a minor character and thus very little plot armor, do you think Sherrie survives? And just to remind you, she was one of the Rounds candidates I introduced.

2) Well we just got the first genuine villain in the story. How much trouble do you think G.G. is going to give Lelouch now?

3) It would have been very easy for G.G. to get Lelouch at that last scene, why do you think she didn't?

And that's all, now press that review button before G.G. sets her sites on you.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	21. Enter the Maid

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, if I did we'd have twice the cool mechs, or at least standard mechs that looked less like Zaku, I'm looking at you Rakshata

Stats: 467 reviews (21 last chapter), 33225 hits (589 last chapter), 12 c2s, 131 favs, and 138 alerts

* * *

"So?" Lelouch asked a surgeon as he left an operating room, not even having gotten out of his pilot suit.

"The damage was too extensive and she lost too much blood. There was nothing that could have been done," the surgeon informed him, "The blade slashed through the right side of her stomach, her stomach acid did a lot of damage to her intestines and neighboring muscles. It was likely she lost consciousness before she felt the pain." The surgeon saw Lelouch's expression change and said, "Your highness, you did everything that could be done. You couldn't have expected that they would break that rule of war either."

"Yeah I know I couldn't have known, but that still doesn't change the fact I was still responsible," Lelouch sighed while he started to walk off, "Losing solders in battle is a normal thing, but to lose someone from a cowardly attack…especially when it was hardly necessary for the attacker to escape…"

After Lelouch left, Gino appeared from around a corner, "He's too kind, I'd never have expected that from someone known as the Glorious Strategist…wow, he's older than I am, yet I'm the one whose jaded here."

When Lelouch left the hospital a limousine was waiting for him outside which he immediately got in and closed the door behind him. Secluding himself in his sound-proof compartment he sighed and dialed a number, when answered he said, "Rakshata, I received a report from you earlier that you said you've already managed to come up with a concept for a new Knightmare frame?"

"Oh I have, are you sure you want to be talking about this now though?" Rakshata replied on the other end.

"Yes, so what is it?" Lelouch asked without hesitation.

"Seiren, the Unsullied Spirit. A close-quarters Knightmare frame. Using the Hadron Technology I can create a new type of melee weapon that's better than this MVS Sword of yours,"

"But the Hadron…wait you have a way to harness that?" Lelouch asked surprised.

"I do, and it'll provide an additional benefit of being invisible to most forms of long-range detection if I apply the technology to a few components in the suit as well. I can have it ready within a few weeks thanks to the team you provided me and this facility you had built. It looks like you recently installed most of the equipment though."

"I did, the foundation for the facility have been ready for a long time, about six years, it was only a matter of installing the machinery and transporting the materials," Lelouch answered, "And of that other matter?"

"The airship and float technology? The Float Technology is perfected from what I can tell, the Pudding Earl is just being overly cautious about it, I'll be testing it myself soon enough," Rakshata explained, "And thanks to this Hadron Technology, I have an idea to improve the Fukushahado."

"Good, what about the MSV particle shields?"

"There's potential with them and the Druid system. Lloyd is certainly a genius, but he's lousy when applying the systems he creates to their best application," Rakshata answered, "He's gone leaps and bounds ahead of me in the number of inventions he's made, but from all this data, he has little idea on how to use it properly. Do you have a pilot in mind for the Seiren?"

"Indeed, I'll be sending him over to you shortly, as well as the workforce you'll need to produce the airship. Anything else?"

"Oh no, I assume you're happy with this level of progress?"

"I am, that will be all, I look forward to the results," Lelouch said while he hung up, sighing as he thought to himself that at least one thing was going right about today, he then dialed another number, "Jeremiah Gottwald, begin the transfer according to the plan. The results of today's battle were horrible, but they have given us the chance to perform the plan. They will not expect us to mobilize our response so quickly, this is the best chance, I leave it to you."

"Yes, your highness," Jeremiah replied on the opposite end of the call and then Lelouch hung up.

"G.G., a contractor of the Geass, you have a month," Lelouch said, anger seething from his voice, "A month and I shall annihilate you and your plans." Just then, for once, Lelouch received a call, he picked up and asked, "Who is it?"

"This is Lloyd," Lloyd's voice came a bit too happily over the phone, "I called to let you know, the Tristan will be ready in two days and a Float pack for the Lancelot will be as well."

"The Tristan…the Knightmare for the Knight of Three," Lelouch said, "How is the Hadron technology coming?"

"Not too well, getting the beam under control is a lot of work. The Mordred will take a while to complete," Lloyd reported, "Thought you could use some good news and all."

"Heh, thanks, I suppose something has to go right today, this fight against the terrorists in this area suddenly took a nose dive into brutality today…you're right I did need some good news," Lelouch said, "So was it Cecile who told you to call?"

"Ara-ara, hehehe, yeah she did," Lloyd laughed over the phone, "You know me too well it seems."

"Well then, anything else?" Lelouch asked.

"Nope,"

"Okay, I look forward to the results," Lelouch said while hanging up, smiling now, the first genuine seventh generation frame was about ready to be fielded, that would tip the odds a bit in his favor much sooner than expected, likely soon enough to make a difference.

Elsewhere, "What did you think you were doing!" Chiba yelled at G.G. who was barely paying attention to the enraged solder, "Do you have any idea what you did?"

"I killed an annoyance," G.G. stated simply, "It was a Britannian, your oppressors, why do you care?"

"Why do I care? Why do I care? Do you realize that you've isolated us? That it is impossible for us to get more supporters now? Do you realize you've just invited an all out war against us?" Chiba yelled, obviously getting very agitated with G.G.

"You underestimate me, we defeated the Glorious Strategist, the other terrorists will flock to us regardless of whether or not they like us," G.G. stated simply, completely unconcerned with Chiba's concerns.

"Mao, say something!" Chiba pleaded, hoping he'd understand and taking the chance G.G. would listen to him.

"I don't care, I only want C.C.," Mao stated, "Defeat the bratty prince, fine by me, I'll help as long as I get C.C."

Ogi sighed and then spoke up, "Lets just calm down, lay low for a little while. We've poked the bee's nest right now and it'll be best if we…'

A radio that had been playing since the conversation began was suddenly turned up, Tamaki being the one to do it, an announcer was speaking, "…executed before he was busted from prison, a precautionary measure set in place by Lelouch Vi Britannia. Toudou Kyoshiro a leader of the terrorists in Area Eleven was executed today to prevent him from being rescued by the remnants of the Black Knights…"

"Toudou…"Chiba said, wide-eyed in shock, the other Holy Sword expressing their own reactions, Senba merely drooping his head, Asahina gritting his teeth and glaring, and Urabe hitting the wall.

"Because of your own softness, your leader is dead, so tell me, what do you plan on doing now?" G.G. asked, "Fight or flee?"

"We'll fight," Minami sighed, answering for everybody, "But I agree with Ogi, we should lay low for a little while and we should also be gathering our strength. This is no longer just a resistance, we have to be ready for all out war now."

Lelouch returned to his home late, having changed out of his pilot suit and into his more grand royal clothing. Entering the main hall he could see that the lights were off, he smiled, "She went to bed on her own, that's good, it wouldn't have been good for her to stay up this late," Lelouch said walking into the room.

"Good evening Lelouch-sama," a female voice said as the lights turned on, Lelouch looked to see who it was, seeing it was one of the maids, Sayoko Shinozaki, "Do you require anything?"

"No thank you, it's been a long night," Lelouch sighed.

"…May I ask…what do you plan on doing now?" Sayoko asked, a somewhat forward question considering her usual attitude.

"About what?" Lelouch asked, removing his heavy jacket and hanging it on his arm.

"The…Japanese, after the Black Knights…" Sayoko asked, obviously reluctant about asking the question, almost like she didn't want to hear the answer or was afraid of what it might be.

"Those Black Knights are only a small voice out of millions. It would be cruel and idiotic to punish the Japanese people for a few dissidents," Lelouch answered, Sayoko visibly relaxing, "They will receive their punishment in due time, no one can escape karma. When you do evil, evil will eventually return to you. The Black Knights don't have long before I defeat them once and for all. Then maybe peace will finally settle."

"Hai, Lelouch-Sama," Sayoko said with a bow, "It's good to hear that you are still you."

"Of course I am," Lelouch said, speaking in Japanese now, using the word "Ore" for his I's, "If I were to surrender to despair and change myself now, the terrorists would be the ultimate winners. If I had a negative view of the Japanese I would never have named one my personal knight."

Lelouch walked up the grand stairs and began walking towards his room, "She was armed you know," C.C. said, having been hiding behind an arch.

"Yeah I could tell," Lelouch stated, "I could also tell that she didn't want to use that knife. It seems like she has grown attached to us. But I would never have expected her to be so dangerous. How did she take it?"

"She was shocked, but it hasn't really affected her, I suppose she's just glad it wasn't you," C.C. replied, "Who was it?"

"G.G., does it ring a bell?" Lelouch asked.

"Yes…a dangerous person…very dangerous, she doesn't follow the same sort of rules I do, if someone has the potential, no matter how small or unfit they are for it, she'll make use of them," C.C. answered, "One of the ones in those weird mechs has one, the movements were too perfect."

"Unfit?" Lelouch asked.

"Some people just can't handle Geass, you have the willpower to withstand the loneliness of the Geass. Unfortunately Mao was one person, I misjudged him…and likely ruined his life," C.C. said somewhat sadly.

"I see, what happens when someone can't handle their Geass?" Lelouch asked.

"It changes them, Mao's personality, he is very focused on me, I'm the only silence in a sea of noise for him. He hears everybody's thoughts. To him people are ugly," C.C. explained.

"So it doesn't do anything itself, but what it does can change you," Lelouch summarized, "Thanks."

Lelouch almost began walking down the hall when Sayoko walked up the stairs, "Lelouch-sama, Kozuki Karen is here to see you, should I send her away for the night?"

"No, I'll see her," Lelouch answered turning around while putting his jacket back on but didn't bother buttoning it, walking out to the front door where Karen was waiting. He walked outside, "Yes, what can I do for you Karen?"

"Geass," Karen said simply, watching him for a reaction.

"I see, so they told you I have it," Lelouch admitted without hesitation, "I suppose they also told you what it does?"

"Yes…have you…" Karen asked, shock and anger starting to rush over her face when Lelouch interrupted her.

"No, I haven't, your choices, regardless of what they were, have been a result of your own free will," Lelouch told her honestly.

"How can I be…"

"We're having this conversation aren't we?" Lelouch asked, like it was obvious why she should believe him.

"What…what does that have to do…" Karen asked, taken back slightly.

"If I had used my Geass on you, would I have left any chance that you would even question your loyalty to me being anything but your own free will?" Lelouch asked, once again like it was obvious why she should be believing him, "If you want further proof, have you ever blacked out around me?"

"Blacked out?" Karen asked.

"Thirty seconds, prior to me using my power, thirty seconds of memories are wiped out as a result of the brain being damaged by it's invasion, furthermore you will not remember what happened while under the effects of the Geass," Lelouch explained, "If you know I have the power it's a pretty good indication I used it on you."

"No, I can't recall any incident where I blacked out around you…" Karen admitted, then she continued, "Then, everything I've done so far, it's all been me?"

"Yes, everything, choosing me, choosing not to reveal my plans, choosing to become my knight and fight your former comrades, everything has been you. It would be easier if you could just blame me I know, but it has been you and you alone," Lelouch stated, turning around, preparing to go back inside, "Ah yes, tell me, are you still interested in going to the Ashford Academy?"

"Wha…yes but my enrollment would have been…" Karen asked surprised by his question.

"Good, I'll feel safer with my knight by my side," Lelouch said with a smile, "Don't worry about tonight, one month, that should be all it takes to defeat what remains of the Black Knights and bring peace here."

"What happens in one month?" Karen asked.

"Seiren launches," Lelouch answered with a smirk while walking inside he added, "Get some sleep, it's late and I certainly plan on doing so."

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter. Certainly a picker-upper after the last chapter I'm sure. And I've answered and earlier question, the Seiren (I'm translating it as Unsullied Spirit because I think it sounds better than the technical one, they mean pretty much the same thing) is going to be an original Knightmare. Which as people can guess, the Junpaku (Pure White) and Konjiku (Golden) will also be Knightmare. The reference is finished with Guren (Crimson) which is how you could have figured out they were Knightmare, if you read a lot of the popular manga out there you would recognize this set of words from the manga "Detective Conan" where it was part of a murder case. I'm a little surprised no one got it. Well then, now that I've explained that reference onto the questions…

1) Sayoko has arrived, she does have a role to play in this fic, so what do you think it will be?

2) If you're following the story, you know that the Avalon and Gawain are due to show up soon along with Schneizel as well. How do you think that scene is going to change?

3) Out of all the current characters introduced, who do you think has the least chance to die any time soon? (Lelouch is not an option, that's a given)

And that's all, now press that review button or Sayoko will show you why she's called a "Super Maid."

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	22. Ruined Plans

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, if I did we'd have twice the pizza

Stats: 495 reviews (27 reviews last chapter), 36387 hits (891 hits last chapter), 13 c2s, 138 favs, and 144 alerts.

* * *

The next day Lelouch was sitting in the throne room of the government headquarters, bored out of his mind. A result of the previous nights events had already surfaced, which Gino was keeping very silent about. Lelouch had learned over the past months that whenever Gino was quiet, it meant something happened that Gino could tease him over. That feeling only was strengthened by the fact Gino was standing off to the side in an unusually good mood. He couldn't really bring himself to fault the man, he did certainly brighten the mood after the events of the previous night. Lelouch sighed, "Not going to give me a heads up at all are you?"

"Nope, not one tiny little bit," Gino chirped, several of the guards in the room smiling at his attitude, Lelouch could just tell he was the only one out of the loop.

"Oh good," Lelouch sighed, he was not looking forward to whatever Gino had up his sleeve.

"Presenting, Sumeragi Kaguya of the Six Houses of the Kyoto, leading member of the NAC council," a solder said walking into the room followed by a young black haired woman, barely more than a girl.

She was wearing a kimono that looked vaguely like a fancy version of a shrine maiden outfit. Seeing her Lelouch immediately looked at Gino and said in an annoyed voice, "You dare call me a lolicon again and I'm putting you on the front lines…wait rear guard, you'd like the front lines."

"Awww, take all the fun out of this why don't you," Gino chuckled, Kaguya walking slowly forward and bowing deeply to Lelouch, and then waited for him to speak before raising her head.

Lelouch sighed, with Gino's joke derailed he could concentrate on the matter at hand, looking at Kaguya he remembered he had met her when they both were only children at the Kururugi Shrine. "You have come here today for what purpose?" Lelouch asked, getting straight to the point of this visit.

Kaguya raised her head and answered, "I am here to turn myself in for the Kyoto House's involvement in terroristic activities in Ja…Area Eleven."

Gino raised his eyebrows at this confession, "I am well aware of the Kyoto House's involvement," Lelouch stated simply, slouching in the throne, "I planned on moving on this information in due time. Now why the sudden change of heart?"

"I've come to beg for your mercy in light of recent events. Mercy on the Jap…" Kaguya bit what word she wanted to say again and changed it to, "Elevens."

"I see, for the cowardly and brutal killing of a solder who had withdrawn from combat in defeat, is this the event you are referring to?" Lelouch asked, choosing his diction to push Kaguya, seeing her flinch at his diction he knew he was making his point.

"…Yes, your highness," Kaguya said, a hint of defeat in her voice.

"And you believe your life is worth the collective lives of all Elevens?" Lelouch asked, pushing Kaguya further. She was rather impressive, for one so young she was rather brave.

"No, your highness, I have only come to plead for your mercy, do with me as you will," Kaguya said humbly, never quite meeting his eyes.

Lelouch remained quiet for a moment, and then smirked, "Impressive, very impressive," Lelouch said, speaking in Japanese now, surprising Kaguya by doing so, "Very few could maintain their composure in this situation, yet you were able to maintain it, under the impression I would execute you for your involvement in the terrorists thus you came here to die for your people." Lelouch then switched back to English, "I never had any intention of punishing the Japanese people for the actions of an extremist minority."

"…thank you, your highness," Kaguya said, bowing deeply again, relief washing over her, and resignation.

"As for yourself," Lelouch said, Kaguya tensing up slightly, "You are a child by all legal definitions, and you have turned yourself in for your crimes. Your sentence will be considerably lighter than it would be if those two points were not true." Kaguya looked up, completely taken back by Lelouch's words, she had obviously not expected him to be so lenient, looking at Gino Lelouch asked, "Any complaints, Knight of Three? Besides not letting you call me that."

"Besides that, nope. It sounds reasonable thus far," Gino replied, then leaned in to whisper with him, "However, as a minor you can't really imprison her. And you can't just let her go. House arrest wouldn't be any better considering that wouldn't impair her if she decided to continue her support of the terrorists despite this."

"…You're looking for an excuse aren't you?" Lelouch asked point blank.

"A little bit," Gino replied with a shrug of his shoulders, "But it is the best option. Considering who you are, there is no way she could do anything from that position, and they would never imagine she would be there, not that it would do them much good with as much secrecy as you live in."

Lelouch sighed in defeat, "If you dare call me a Lolicon for this I'll stick you on the rear guard," Lelouch warned Gino, he then spoke to Kaguya, "You will be put under my care until the rebellious activities in Area Eleven have been put a stop to."

"Thank you, your highness, for your kindness. It's good to know you haven't changed after all these years," Kaguya said smiling at Lelouch.

"I was wondering if you remembered me," Lelouch chuckled, and then to Gino he said, "I'll entrust transporting her in secret to you. It would be advantageous if this did not reach the public's ear yet."

"Of course your highness," Gino said with a smirk, while Lelouch walked out from a back door hidden behind curtains.

Lelouch sighed as he walked down the hall, that whole situation was rather unexpected. As things stood, Kaguya was a new pawn on his side, but if he played his cards correctly, he could transform her into another queen. "Your highness," Jeremiah said, having come from around a corner Lelouch had just passed, "About that Code-R…I accept."

"Ah good," Lelouch said turning to Jeremiah, "It'll take a week or two before I have the team ready for it. How did the operation go?"

"Excellently your majesty. At first they were, unwilling as anticipated. Then he spoke up, after that, they agreed and in fact seemed rather eager," Jeremiah answered, "Your highness was completely correct. I am surprised, your plans are working so well."

"Of course they are," Lelouch said while crossing his arms, "This isn't the difficult part. If I can take out the remnants of the Black Knights the next year will be a cakewalk. Especially if I can capture that Black Suit Pilot…no in fact just capturing that pilot would be enough."

"What of Rei?" Jeremiah asked.

"Rei is a disguise, anybody can hide behind it." Lelouch said simply, "Brigadier General Jeremiah Gottwald, you'll be the co-leader of the brigade that is being made. You should be able to guess the other leader, and why it's co-leader."

"…Of course your majesty," Jeremiah said, ecstatic he was being raised to the rank of General, even if it was the lowest rank of general.

Lelouch continued on his way, heading up to the rooftop to the garden, he wanted to clear his head some, things were progressing differently than he had anticipated. Lelouch then remembered that today was Saturday, he took out his cellphone on the way and called Nunnally, when she picked up he said, "Sorry I haven't been around much lately,"

"Nii-sama," Nunnally said happily, "I was worried, you don't normally stay out so long, even when you had a lot of work to do."

"I'm sorry, it won't be much longer, this will all be over soon," Lelouch said, "Nunnally, do you remember Kaguya?"

"Kaguya? Yes, she's Suzaku's cousin that we met at the shrine when we were children right?" Nunnally asked.

"Yes, that's right. She'll be staying with us, she got caught up in the terrorists activities," Lelouch started to explain.

"Nii-sama, have you become a lolicon?" Nunnally asked, Lelouch could swear that he had just been punched in the gut.

"Not you too," Lelouch almost cried.

Nunnaly laughed on the other end, "Gino called last night and said I should ask that."

"….damn him," Lelouch said under his breath, then speaking up he said, "Sounds like he was a step ahead of me on this one."

"So what's the real reason you're doing this?"

"You mean the 'your brother is being sneaky' reason?" Lelouch asked, getting in the elevator.

"That too," Nunnally answered him.

"The real reason is that she is a member of Suzaku's family, if only his cousin. I don't want him to hate me more than he may already. The sneaky reason is that I'm hoping to convince her to help me put a stop to terrorism here in Japan," Lelouch admitted with a small smile.

Elsewhere, in the Imperial Capitol of Pendragon, Charles Di Britannia was meeting with his second oldest son, Schneizel El Britannia. "A bold proposal, and are you certain he would agree to it?" the emperor asked with a broad smirk.

"Your Imperial Majesty, he would be unable to protest it, this would be for the good of the Empire," Schneizel said, quite confident in what he was saying, "Such marriages are arranged all the time."

"Ah, this is true, but it is Lelouch, as opposed to admitting it as you are, he has proven to be your better many times Schneizel. Are you not worried he could find a way to turn this around upon you?" Charles questioned, amusement twinkling in his eyes.

"Who better my emperor?" Schneizel asked, betraying no particular emotion, "He is known to our own Empire as the Glorious Strategist, and he is known to theirs as the Dragon of the East. Someone so noteworthy could not possibly be argued against on either side."

"This is true. However you are called the Subtle Strategist and are leading the conquest of the EU. What makes him more suited than you?"

"I am not feared, I am respected by the EU, but they do not fear me as they do Lelouch. Even with the recent turmoil and chaos in Area Eleven, neither EU nor China dares to even consider attacking it. To remove that fear the Chinese's High Eunuchs would gladly sell their precious Tianzi to us, with the promise of titles of nobility they could not possibly refuse," Schneizel explained his reasoning and plan to his father, "There is very little he can do to oppose this political marriage short of staging a coup d'etet."

"And why would he not do so?" Charles asked.

"He does not possess the military strength to do so, nor would he be able to gain the Chinese's support in such a venture. Even with his cosponsoring of the Seventh Generation project he is powerless," Schneizel said with great unflinching confidence.

"One should not underestimate a cornered animal, you may end up the one trapped instead," Charles cautioned with a chuckle, "Very well, I approve of this plan. But you will wait for the situation in Area Eleven to calm before you make a move. Do you understand Schneizel?"

"Of course your imperial majesty," Schneizel said.

Back in Japan, Lelouch was leaning on the railing overlooking the settlement and enjoying the view. For now things were peaceful and going his way, nothing bad was on the horizon and it was only a matter of time before he could enjoy his time with Nunnally again instead of having to constantly run around. He would have a year to plan everything out perfectly before he began his invasion of China, and then his coup. "Um, Lelouch," Euphemia said walking up to him, holding a piece of paperwork, "Can I get your help?"

Lelouch turned around and smiled, "Of course Euphy, what do you need?" he asked while she handed him the papers. He took a look at it and said, "The Royal Knight paperwork, so you've chosen one as…" then he paused, looking at the name that had already been filled out, half in astonishment, and half in panic, "Suzaku?"

* * *

And that's where I'll end things for this chapter. I don't know about ya'll but I had a nice 4th of July, shot off some nice big fireworks. Ah the joys of a holiday that encourages you to blow stuff up. Well then onto my questions…

1) Why do you think Lelouch is somewhat in a panic about Euphemia making Suzaku her knight?

2) Do you think the Euphinator incident is going to occur in this fic? Give me a reason why while you're at it.

3) Schneizel is being his sneaky underhanded self already, how do you think Lelouch is going to deal with that plan of his when the time comes?

And that's all, now press that review button before Schneizel starts making plans to just ruin your day too.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	23. Assassin

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, if I did, Suzaku would not be getting that second upgrade

Stats: 525 reviews (30 last chapter), 39914 hits (903 last chapter), 13 c2s, 144 favs, and 148 alerts

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Lelouch was taking an elevator down far below the main Britannian Settlement, he was wearing civilian clothing as he had to move through part of the city to get to this particular elevator, hidden from sight. He leaned against the wall of the elevator as it descended, watching the doors while deep in thought. He was happy his friend was getting ahead, but it was too soon, he had only just promoted Karen to his own Knight, with Euphemia appointing Suzaku as hers, it would seem that they were both trying to force the issue of integration. This made his work to get Karen accepted all but pointless. The elevator reached its destination and the doors opened. There stood Rakshata, pipe in hand, and with a smile on her lips, "Welcome to Section Six," she said happily, "We've made quite a bit of progress already. Nothing visually impressive but still good."

"Ah, that's good," Lelouch said straightening up and walking out.

"Oh? You don't sound too happy," Rakshata commented walking in front of him to show him the work that has been done thus far, "The Black Knights weren't very agreeable at first, but thanks to Toudou talking to them, they quickly came around…oh speak of the devil."

Rakshata was looking off to her left as they came to a split in the hallway, Lelouch walked forward and saw Toudou walking down the hallway, wearing a pilot suit, "Ah, Lelouch," he said with a small smile, "Everything is going according to plan here, the Seiren's primary systems are being built now and the construction on the airship will begin shortly."

"Good, we may need them, I trust you saw the footage from the attempted prison break?" Lelouch asked Toudou.

"Yes, the ones in the unknown model Knightmares, the Gekka, were likely my subordinates the Four Holy Swords," Toudou admitted, slightly embarrassed by it, "Highly skilled pilots, but one of them seemed…I don't know how to put it, too good I suppose."

"How so?" Lelouch asked.

"The reaction time, the awareness, both were leagues above what they should have been," Toudou explained, at a loss for a better way to explain it, "Too good."

"I see, then that confirms my suspicions about something being correct," Lelouch stated, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes down towards the floor, "The question is, what happened at the end, and how that information got leaked."

"It confirms what?" Toudou asked, not wanting to be left in the dark.

"A rather powerful…weapon has been given to that member of your Holy Swords, and quite possibly two, maybe three other people," Lelouch explained, not about to give up the secrets of the Geass.

"Weapon? You sound unsure when you say that," Toudou pushed for more information.

"It's something a bit beyond what you'd really understand. You probably wouldn't believe it if I told you," Lelouch stated simply, "Suffice it to say, thanks to it, the remnants of the Black Knights are a thousand times more dangerous than before I captured most of them."

"I see, then the Seiren needs to be completed soon, the Guren and the white Knightmare aren't enough,"

"Heh, another Seventh Generation Knightmare is about to hit the field of combat," Lelouch stated, "The Z Zero Two, Tristan Air Superiority Frame." Lelouch smirked and then added, "The Seiren will launch, but it is likely that it won't be against the Japanese."

Toudou sighed, it wasn't really out of relief, "I suppose that is a good thing."

Out in the Pacific Ocean, aboard a flying ship, Schneizel El Britannia was sitting in a throne on the bridge of the ship. "Area Eleven," he mused quietly, "Are you certain that the truth lies there, Bartley?"

"Yes, your majesty," the portly general said, "Thank you again for believing me."

"I found it odd that you would betray Clovis, the two of your were so very close after all," Schneizel said dispassionately, "However, the only other option was that it was Lelouch's doing. I find it odd that he could make you pull the trigger and make himself look completely innocent."

"I don't mean to say that Prince Lelouch is the true culprit. That would be treason to the empire, I wouldn't dare suggest such a thing," Bartley stated quickly, trying not to insult Lelouch in front of Schneizel.

"Regardless, it may be right. Lelouch's actions since Clovis' death have been suspicious," Schneizel said, standing up and letting out a small yawn, covering his face with his hand, "As has his ability to cover those moves up. He's hiding something we haven't found yet. I can guarantee that, it is only a matter of what."

"Your highness, I worked with him for years, are you certain he would be doing something treasonous? Wouldn't Lord Weinberg and Princess Euphemia have noticed something?" Bartley asked, clasping his hands together and wringing them.

"According to the Knight of Three, he is indeed hiding something, and Euphemia seems to know what it is. I would be inclined to believe that it's nothing treasonous given that Euphemia has said nothing. But my little brother is known as the Glorious Strategist and the Phantom Prince, likely everything going on in Area Eleven is according to his plans. He is likely controlling the information flow to both of his watchdogs, and from that the information flow to us," Schneizel stated, with a small smirk, "Lelouch possesses a rather unique ability for us in the Imperial Family, he can vanish into what seems to be nothingness exceptionally quickly. I suspect an ability he developed by hiding himself for so many years. With that, he could vanish, losing any and all surveillance in a matter of moments. Then he could do almost anything he wanted."

Two hours later, Lelouch was frantically trying to hide in the Britannian Settlement, "Damn it, one little slip-up and I've got a mob of reporters after me," Lelouch grumbled, quickly quickly making his way through a large crowd in a mall, smirking slightly, they were providing a needed distraction while they wondered what all the people with cameras and microphones wanted. Lelouch was slipping between people very quickly, turning a corner, Lelouch removed a large coat he was wearing and a hat, but kept on a pair of glasses he was wearing. He tossed them into a trashcan and slowed his speed down. His current appearance risked giving his identity away more, but it could throw off the reporters assuming they don't face him head on.

"Ah, Lulu?" a familiar voice to Lelouch exclaimed just as someone walked out of a store to his right, Lelouch looked to see who it was and saw Shirley.

He put a finger to his lip and pleaded, "Please, please act casually and walk with me."

Shirley blushed and said in an almost hurried tone, "Okay." Just as the two began walking together the mob of reporters rushed by, taking no note of Lelouch or Shirley, still searching for a Lelouch dressed in heavy clothing and hurrying to hide. "So that's why you were so desperate," Shirley laughed, Lelouch chuckling along.

"Indeed, you're a life saver Shirley," Lelouch said, greatly relieved he had finally gotten away, "I can't believe I made that tiny mistake that gave me away."

"Happy to be of service…say Lelouch are you…" Shirley began asking, a little embarrassed.

"I'm free for the afternoon," Lelouch answered with a smile, "It'd be nice to spend it with someone I don't have to pretend I'm something I'm not with."

In the Britannina Headquarters, they were in an uproar, "How did he get all the way down there?" Gino demanded, reporters blaring about having spotted Lelouch and were currently attempting to locate him in a hidden command room, "It shouldn't have been possible for him to have gotten that far away from the headquarters without being under surveillance."

"No idea sir, reports from the special forces indicate he seemingly vanished sometime in the last five hours, they were following a decoy since then," one of the ranked officers leading the search for Lelouch reported, panicking like everybody else in the room.

A call came on Gino's phone, he picked it up and answered, "Who is this?"

"Leveque sir, I've spotted someone I think is Prince Lelouch, do you have a report on where he is now?" Hunter L. Leveque responded on the other end.

"No, where is he?" Gino immediately answered.

"The park in the seventh district, talking to some girl, possibly a girlfriend? He was just a normal student until a short time ago," Leveque reported, "Something going on?"

"That's right, you're off duty now. Yes, reporters caught wind of him, but he apparently slipped right under their noses somewhere along the way," Gino sighed while rubbing the bridge of his nose, "How did you notice him?"

"I almost didn't, I'm still not sure, it's too normal, he's barely trying to hide his identity, maybe that's an exceptionally good disguise. Most people would write it off as a look-a-like," Leveque stated, "Well it doesn't look like he's doing anything that would warrant him being watched right now. Anything he was doing is probably finished with."

"…you're probably right," Gino sighed, "I'll have someone move into position to continue watching him, good work Leveque."

"My pleasure sir…say, has it been decided yet?" Leveque asked, his tone taking a slightly sadder tone.

"Yes, this coming Saturday," Gino stated, his own tone matching Leveque's now, "Back in the Homeland."

"Thank you sir, I'll be turning down the chance to make it to Rounds, I just don't think I have what it takes, can I request my transfer back to the homeland now?"

"Yes, I'll start the paperwork today, it should go through by Wednesday and you can leave Thursday. It was good to serve alongside you,"

"Yeah, thank you sir,"

Back with Lelouch in the park, he and Shirley were looking out at a lake from a bridge, "Lulu, are you sure you have time to come back to school, don't you have to…" Shirley spoke up after the two of them had been fairly quiet for a time.

"I do have to take care of the remaining Black Knights, but I won't be able to do that for a time. They'll be laying low for at least a week thanks to what happened, cooler heads will prevail in that organization. And even if I wanted to, I don't have the firepower to take them down right now," Lelouch answered.

"But you're the governor, who can possibly have more power than you here?" Shirley asked, surprised Lelouch would even suggest such a thing.

"Some weapons aren't technological in origin," Lelouch stated, "They possess at least four weapons that I only possess one of, and I suspect the Empire as a whole isn't much better."

"A weapon that rare? And it makes that big a difference?" Shirley asked, then smiled, "You can't be serious, something that is more powerful than Knightmares?"

Lelouch chuckled and replied, "I know it sounds ridiculous. But believe me when I say that it does. The reason I've managed to get this far in eliminating terrorism was because I gained this weapon, it would have taken me five more years if I had not gained it."

"Is it classified?" Shirley asked.

"Highly, it could cause a lot of panic and disorder if it got out that it existed," Lelouch explained, then smirked, "I didn't even know it existed until the Shinjuku incident."

"Then, that's the reason Cecelia is posing as a cousin of yours, she knows something about it doesn't she?" Shirley asked, Lelouch looking at her with wide eyes, "Well you did say the Shinjuku incident, and she did show up about then."

"I suppose I should be a bit more careful what I say, if it wasn't you then I'd be afraid that would get out to the public," Lelouch said with a smile.

"Geass," a harsh voice said from some distance to the left of Lelouch and off the bridge, who immediately turned around and put himself between whoever it was and Shirley. "I see, so you'll protect those who aren't involved," the voice said as a Japanese woman with short brown hair and wearing civilian clothing stepped out from behind a tree. She slowly making her way towards him. In her eyes was the bird-like sigil, shining brightly in both of them, "The power of Absolute Obedience, something that would surely cause panic and disorder if it was released to the public and it was believed." Lelouch's left eye lit up in the sigil as he removed his sunglasses, the woman responded by immediately putting on a pair of opaque sunglasses, "I'm taking a risk coming here, but I decided to see if our assumption was right," she said, Lelouch glaring at her while he turned his Geass off, "I see we're right, you need direct eye contact to make it work."

"Shirley, get out of here," Lelouch told her, still keeping himself between the two women.

"Go ahead girl, I'm not someone who would hurt a bystander," the woman said taking out a gun, and with a smirk she added, "I can't waste this chance, to kill the Governor of the oppressive Britannian Empire, to take my revenge."

"Lulu…I…" Shirley was stuttering, scared out of her mind.

"Don't worry about me, I'm not the Governor-**General** without reason," Lelouch said, changing his body's position ever so slightly, getting ready to run.

"But, Lelouch, she has a gun," Shirley protested.

"Forgive me for this," Lelouch said while turning his head, his eye lighting up, "Shirley get to safety!"

Shirley stood still for a second as the Geass took hold, and then nodded her head, "Yes, I will Lulu, don't die," she said while beginning to run.

"False chivalry won't save you from me," the woman said with a smirk.

"Well aren't we confident, what is your power and name?" Lelouch asked turning his attention back to her, "Even if you believe me without honor are you willing to forego your own?"

"Chiba Nagisa, my power is Absolute Perception," she answered simply, taking aim at Lelouch.

"Absolute Perception…well that's not going to be easy to defeat," Lelouch sighed, never taking his eyes off of her, "So what is this about revenge?"

"Toudou Kyoshirou, you had him executed," Chiba answered simply.

"I see, then that would make you one of the Holy Swords," Lelouch assumed, and then turned tail and hopped over the railing and into the water below, which was surprisingly shallow, allowing Lelouch to hide under the bridge, "Not good."

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter. Nothing clever to say today so I'll go straight to the questions.

1) Gino still obviously suspects Lelouch is up to something, and no one is telling him anything. Do you think he'll ever figure it out or will the most he'll get over on Lelouch is the Lolicon thing?

2) Schneizel is going to be showing up soon in Japan, so besides the fact he doesn't trust what Lelouch is up to, why else do you think he is coming?

3) Chiba is very pissed off at Lelouch it seems, and with the one Power in this story that excels at combat he's got his work cut out for him. How do you think he's going to get out of this situation?

And that's it, now press that review button before Chiba decides to shoot you too.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	24. Surprise

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, if I did we'd have a drill based Knightmare

Stats: 554 reviews (22 last chapter), 43160 hits (826 last chapter), 13 c2s, 148 favs, and 15 alerts

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"Nice try," Chiba said, speaking in Japanese now, from above Lelouch, standing on the bridge, moving in perfect unison with him whenever he tried to move, "My Absolute Perception…"

"Allows you to perfectly comprehend everything you see, hear, smell, feel, and if applicable taste," Lelouch responded in Japanese, "I'm fully away of what your ability means."

"Then you should realize it's pointless," Chiba said with a frown, "But no, you have some idea on how to beat me already don't you? Glorious Strategist."

"Oh a few, I only wish your ability was Absolute Sense, then I could do something to overload your ability. No I suppose you wouldn't be using a gun if that was your power," Lelouch answered, "Or maybe I've already started my counter plan."

"The girl…but you used your power on her to make her run away," Chiba stated, scowling now, "No…when your power deactivates she'll realize what you did and then call for help. You only need to wait me out."

"That's certainly one plan, and a very viable one at that," Lelouch chuckled, he and Chiba moving in perfect unison but Lelouch keeping close to the center of the bridge, "While you can certainly figure out where I am thanks to that ability of yours, so can I figure out where you are."

"Oh really? How is that? How do you know I'm not about to jump over the ledge?"

"Your footsteps, they are amplified by the arch of the bridge, I'd have to be deaf not to know where you were stepping," Lelouch replied, smirking and feeling completely in control, "And I'm willing to bet your power can only be kept on so long, to be fully aware for extended periods of time must be an incredible burden on your mind. So I have two options, wait until my rescue arrives, or wait until you can't keep your power on any longer. Your gun is useless because this is a cement bridge, it would get stuck in the cement before it ever reached me, if you made a run for it and jumped over the side I could likely get to the opposite side fast enough that I could avoid getting shot until I got to another shelter."

"I should have waited until you were off the bridge then, if I had you couldn't use this trick. I'll keep that in mind. But you haven't considered all possibilities have you?" Chiba taunted, goading Lelouch into making a move.

"You aren't working with anyone else, that much is clear. Especially not Mao," Lelouch countered confidently, "I'd be dead by now if you were. Let alone the fact that you could not have possibly predicted me coming out in public without a guard of some sort. So tell me, do all of the remaining Black Knights and you Holy Swords feel the same? That I'm an oppressive ruler?"

"Yes, Zero," Chiba accused, like she was gloating about it.

"Ah, so Mao was able to read that as well, not surprising. I'm willing to bet G.G. told you half-truths to convince you to join them,"

"The only reason I need is that you ordered Toudou's execution," Chiba answered coldly.

"I suppose that is all you would need isn't it? Too bad death is only the beginning," Lelouch said cryptically, he was telling Chiba that Toudou was alive without having to come out and admit he didn't execute him like he was required to.

"Too bad? How foolish, there is only nothingness after death," Chiba said bitterly, completely missing Lelouch's hidden message.

"Then I guess I just won't die then, not too hard," Lelouch replied, not willing to give her any more hints.

"Glorious Strategist indeed, you've planned everything out, but ultimately!" Chiba yelled as she quickly hopped over the side of the bridge, Lelouch making a break for the other side, "You're just stalling for time."

Lelouch barely made it around the corner of the bridge when Chiba shot, barely missing him. She ran up the other side of the bank the bridge was on as Lelouch did the same, just as another gunshot sounded, aimed at Chiba this time, causing her to take cover. Lelouch not being one to stare stupidly at who shot while he was still in plain sight quickly made his way to the nearest large tree and hid behind it. Then he looked to see who just saved him. "Your highness, are you alright?" Leveque asked in English, taking up a position behind a nearby tree and keeping Chiba's location barely visible in his line of sight.

"Thanks to you Leveque, but I thought I lost all my tails earlier," Lelouch said, switching back to English now, without a hint of shame or embarrassment.

"I'm off duty, I just happened to be here in the park, lucky you," Leveque joked taking another shot at where Chiba was, "I called for backup. We'll have the assassin soon enough."

"Doubtful, she'll likely retreat soon," Lelouch stated, relaxing somewhat, but keeping an eye on the opposite side of the bridge, the side he had come from, "She's from the war seven years ago. A veteran fighter from the battle at Itsukishima."

"We lost a few battles there didn't we?" Leveque asked, lowering his gun, "Looks like she retreated."

"Yeah we did," Lelouch sighed as he completely relaxed, "That was close." Lelouch smirked then, crossing his arms, "So that's how things are. Things will get easier with that bit of information."

"What information your majesty?" Leveque asked.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Lelouch answered without missing a beat as a pair of Knight Police appeared, "Go and give them their orders, not like they'll find anything. I'm leaving."

"Yes, your highness," Leveque said, then pausing a bit he said, "Lord Weinberg is investigating…"

"I know he is. If I had anything I needed to hide from him he would never find out about it. Giving credit where it's due, Gino is exceptionally intelligent and has a great tactical mind. But he is not a strategist, he couldn't see through my plans if he tried, no one could," Lelouch stated simply, and then walked off.

It wasn't long until he received a phone call on his cellphone, he looked at his caller ID and it said Shirley, answering it quickly he said, "Ah Shirley, you got away okay…"

"Why hello there your highness," came the mocking voice of a woman, "Care to guess who I am?"

"G.G." Lelouch growled.

"Bingo. First guess too, you can guess what happened can't you?" G.G. waited a few seconds to listen to frustrated sounds coming from Lelouch, "I see you do. I'll be contacting you tomorrow at about seven pm, enjoy your day back to school your highness. We'll have our fun tomorrow."

G.G. hung up after that, leaving Lelouch standing in the middle of the park. He slowly put his phone up and clenched his teeth, "That bitch," he growled, "I can't even make a counter plan. She knows what she is doing. One false move and either me, Shirley, or both of us will be dead." He continued on his way out of the park, he was thinking very closely on how to solve this problem, and then he felt it, a low rumbling and a vibration coming from the air, like a plane was passing overhead. Looking up he gawked, "The Float System?"

High above the Britannian Settlement floated the flying fortress belonging to Schneizel El Britannia, it was coming in to dock with the government headquarters. Lelouch sighed, this was bad for him, two large problems suddenly getting dumped in his lap at the same time. Lelouch gritted his teeth, making his way back to the government building to greet Schneizel.

In an apartment hidden from the main streets of the settlement G.G. hung up the phone she had taken from Shirley, smirking as she looked at Shirley herself who was tied up and gagged in a chair. "That woman, so troublesome, she gave away one of our trump cards thanks to her impatience," G.G. commented, casually looking over at Shirley, "Well no matter, I was able to secure a checkmate thanks to those actions."

"This girl has such loud thoughts," Mao complained walking into the room in his Rei outfit, "Do you have to keep her conscious G.G.?"

"Why yes, it's much more entertaining this way," G.G. commented with a smile, an almost aroused one in fact.

"Sadist," Mao accused, leaning against a wall.

"Won't deny it," G.G. replied simply, "It's the reason I'm making the dear prince wait a whole day on what should be a very happy day for him and his friends."

"If it wasn't for the fact he has C.C. I wouldn't even bother working with someone like you," Mao grumbled…and then his attention went to Shirley, "Cecelia….green hair…you know C.C." Mao walked over to Shirley taking his mask off and looking her in the eyes, "Where is she, tell me…yes I know I've got weird eyes and have some sort of power. I don't care about that, where's C.C.? Is she safe? Is she well?"

Back with Lelouch, he had returned to the government headquarters and had changed into more appropriate attire, making his way up towards the upper levels. When the elevator door opened to the rooftop garden and palace Lelouch immediately walked out, composing himself, pushing the situation with G.G. into the back of his mind. When he saw Schneizel who was talking with Euphemia near some larger bushes, he put on a smile and did his job, "Schneizel El Britannia, it has been too long since we last met brother."

"Lelouch Vi Britannia, just as much a glorious bastard as always," Schneizel said with a smile, joking with him.

"Naturally, one of us has to be the glorious bastard, we can't both be subtle bastards now," Lelouch immediately countered.

"Now you two need to stop greeting each other like that," Euphemia scolded, "It's not nice."

"Of course Euphie," Schneizel said with a kind smile to her, "I didn't mean anything by it."

"Of course we didn't," Lelouch added, "But having to act so stiff with everybody it is nice to act a bit more casually around family."

"Well, I suppose, but you really shouldn't…" Euphemia began to object more when she was interrupted.

"Let the boys have their little greeting, it's only natural there be some tension between the two most likely heirs to the Throne," a harsher but still kind voice spoke up.

"Ah Cornelia, you've arrived as well," Lelouch said walking forward more to see Cornelia sitting at table behind one of the bushes, a cup of tea in hand, "I've heard the Africa Invasion is going well thanks to you."

"Ha, I can hardly claim all the credit, the EU is more concerned with pushing Schneizel back, and defending themselves up in Russia should you decide to attack," Cornelia sighed, then looking at Lelouch with a smile, "I should have studied strategy more as a child, you and Schneizel gain most of the credit available thanks to your abilities with strategy and tactics."

"Oh I'm hardly anything compared to Schneizel, I merely hold a single area, albeit an important one that is stuck in a dangerous area," Lelouch said humbly, "I assume you both have some reason other than just visiting us to be here, so shall we get down to business?"

"Of course," Schneizel said indicating for them all to sit down at the table, which everybody did so, "I'm here to check on the Seventh Generation Project and concerned Clovis' death. Something about it didn't strike me right, then there is this Code-R project I heard about."

"Lloyd Asplund has made remarkable progress in fact," Lelouch said simply, "The next Seventh Generation Frame should be ready to launch soon, Gino Weinberg the Knight of Three shall be it's pilot."

"Yes I heard of that, the Tristan, an Air Superiority Frame," Schneizel said, nodding his head, "Truly remarkable that the technology has improved so quickly. However I am curious, even with your stance on integration of numbers, making a number the pilot of the Lancelot seems quite unlike you."

"I had nothing to do with that decision. I gave Earl Asplund complete authority to pick a suitable test pilot, Kururugi Suzaku was his choice, and given the test data we've received I must say he was a suitable choice," Lelouch answered without missing a beat.

"Lelouch," Cornelia spoke up, "I am here about this Knight business, what possessed you to raise a mere Number to such a high and glorious position. Let alone inspiring Euphie to do the same."

"Karen Kozuki is, as I made sure to prove, a very capable pilot whose ultimate loyalty lies with Britannia. While it is true she accepted the Knighthood to help her people, I had not made her aware I was going to make her my Knight until after her role in the capture of the Black Knights was over," Lelouch answered, once again without hesitation, he had obviously prepared himself for these questions, "As for Kururugi Suzaku's appointment by Euphie. Well even I think that it is a horrible time to do so."

"Lelouch," Euphemia objected, "He's your friend isn't he? And he's perfectly suited and loyal to the Empire…"

"I know that Euphie, which was why I had every intention of recommending him to become a Rounds after the matters here in Area Eleven were tied up," Lelouch answered, which Cornelia clearly took offense to.

"A rounds!? He has neither the qualifications nor record to be worthy of such a…" Cornelia objected, and was hushed by Schneizel.

"Care to explain how you would prove he is worthy of such a position?" Schneizel asked.

"I have reason to believe that the Chinese are responsible for the wave of terrorism that plagues this area. With the capture of the remaining Black Knights I believe I can prove it, by proving their current leader is Chinese," Lelouch explained carefully, "If I do so, then I will have no choice but to wage a counterattack against China for an act of war. I had intended on placing Kururugi on the front lines to minimize losses by taking advantage of the Seventh Generation Frame Lancelot and his own skills. If he survived then he would be more than worthy of the Rounds for truly distinguished service to Britannia and great personal skill."

"With that record, none could deny he would be deserving of the position. And father would likely gladly promote such a person to his personal knights," Schneizel stated, "Every bit of the man you are always rumored to be."

"Unfortunately I would be forced to agree, if this Kururugi survived such an ordeal and gained a distinguished record because of it, even I would have to be forced to accept him," Cornelia reluctantly said, "Lelouch, you know this man better than any of us. Is he loyal?"

"Very much so. While I think it's too soon for such a thing, I would trust Euphemia to his care," Lelouch answered Cornelia.

"Very well, then I'm forced to just accept it," Cornelia sighed, "It would appear you did pick a good Knight."

"Thank you Cornelia Nee-sama," Euphemia said.

"Nee-sama?" Cornelia asked, confused by the saying, "Is that the native language?"

"Oh yes, I've learned some before I came here. It sounds a lot better than saying 'honored older sister,' after all," Euphemia said with a smile.

Schneizel gave a light laugh, "I agree, much easier to say and it sounds much less formal."

"Lelouch, are you going to be coming to the Knighting Ceremony tonight? You're not busy right?" Euphemia asked anxiously.

"No, I wish I could but if I do, I'll make it publicly known I approve of this and the choice of Suzaku being your knight would seem more like me forcing the issue of integration of numbers rather than you picking a suitable knight," Lelouch said, "If I come, Suzaku will be seen only as a tool to an end."

"I…I see," Euphemia said sadly.

"I'll come Euphie," Schneizel said, picking Euphemia's spirits up and surprising both Cornelia and Lelouch, "Surely no one can complain if I approve of this. I am not known for being pro-numbers like Lelouch. And I do have reason to approve of him, being that he is testing a frame I am also funding and has done an impeccable job."

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter for now. A few little plot twists here and there, G.G. being a sadistic bitch, and me ending a chapter just as its getting good, you know the usual.

Got some bad news for you all (maybe good news if you're trying to top me), I'll be taking shortish break from this fic for a little while. I want to wait for some more info about Anya and the Geass. And I also want to just take a break from writing this fic for a bit. I'll probably wait for another two episodes. In the meantime, I've got another idea for a fic so keep and eye out for it. It's an idea I don't think anybody has thought of yet, or had the guts to do. Now onto the questions.

1) On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being meh whatever and 10 being absolute loathing. How much is G.G. angering you as a villain?

2) While you all saw Schneizel coming, none of you saw Cornelia showing up. How do you think this is going to change things for Lelouch?

3) Now on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being stupid and 10 being brilliant. How cunning and effective do you think G.G.'s newest little plot is?

And that's all. Now press that review button before G.G. kidnaps you.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	25. Information Slip?

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, if I did we'd have twice the fan jokes by now

This fic will be updated infrequently for a while, so in the meantime check out "The Spirit of the Wolf" my other current Code Geass fic.

Stats: 581 reviews (27 last chapter), 48507 hits (1141 last chapter), 15 c2s, 159 favs, 165 alerts

* * *

"So he really is going back," Schneizel said looking at an intelligence report, sitting with Cornelia in the rooftop garden of the Britannian Headquarters, the two of them drinking tea, "Why would he go back to that academy?"

"There's something there he's hiding and hasn't had a chance to retrieve until now," Cornelia answered, "It's the only thing that makes sense."

"Perhaps, it does support him letting Nunnally continue going. It would give him an excuse to post guards there to help protect whatever it is," Schneizel said, taking a sip of tea, "But this…Cecelia Lamperouge. She bothers me. The protective custody papers were filed, but only the bare minimum was placed on it. Not even a picture was given." Schneizel took out a set of photos and placed them on the table, all of them of C.C. "A green haired woman, with some sort of tattoo on her forehead."

"Your highness, you sent for me?" Bartley asked walking up to the two.

"Yes I did, do you recognize this woman?" Schneizel asked handing Bartley one of the photos, Bartley dropped his monocle from his eye in surprise, "I see you do. What do you know?"

"She's…well I'm sure you won't believe me at first, she's immortal," Bartley began his explanation.

Elsewhere, "Good morning Ashford Academy! As some of you may have heard, there were rumors that Lelouch Vi Britannia would be returning to Ashford, at least for a time…well it would be my duty to tell you that its not true," Millay announced over the PA system of the school, followed by a large collective boo.

"I guess it's a good thing she's not performing that duty, you might have been lynched for that announcement," Lelouch joked while speaking into a microphone, "I'm back, at least for now my friends."

Lelouch's announcement was met by a huge cheer, Millay speaking back in the microphone, "Well then your highness, care to open the festival?"

Lelouch laughed as he walked forward, having been speaking from atop the school, a spotlight turning on and pointing up towards him, gathering the eyes of the crowd below, if not for his overdramatic appearance, for his royal clothing, "Follow this order from Lelouch Vi Britannia!" Lelouch said, dramatically flaring his free hand out towards the crowd, "Let the festival begin." Lelouch turned the microphone off and turned around, flipping a coin, and catching it, "Damn…" he commented looking at the result.

"What?" Karen asked, wearing her ceremonial knight uniform.

"I'm not going to be vanishing into the crowd today," Lelouch said pocketing the coin, "Oh well, guess I'm going to put up with swarm of questions for once."

"You really think you could vanish in a crowd like the one you're going to be having in a second?" Karen asked, disbelieving what she was hearing.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Lelouch chuckled as the two of them walked back in the school and down some stairs, "I have earned my nicknames unlike plenty of other people." Then with a smirk he added, "Besides, I'm not the only one whose going to get swarmed with questions. With Suzaku having been made a royal knight yesterday and you…I'm just the most tantalizing target."

"Well I can kinda understand that, but doesn't being royalty, especially one of the big three, make you intimidating?" Karen asked as Lelouch brought his hand up with three fingers raised.

"Three reasons. One, I'm royalty. Two, I have a genuine chance at the throne. And three, the most important one, I'm single," Lelouch explained in a point-by-point manner.

"What does that…" Karen began to ask, the two of them reaching the bottom of a staircase, and hearing a rather loud thundering sound, coming from every direction but the one they had come from, and the sound of many, many female voices, "Oh…"

"I'm starting to regret leaving the choice up to a coin," Lelouch said, catching the sound coming their way.

"You realize that if you're that good you still have time, right?" Karen asked, looking like she wasn't prepared for what was about to happen.

"True, but you'll be stuck here if I enacted my current plan," Lelouch admitted in full disclosure.

"Go ahead, I want to see this..." Karen challenged as Lelouch brought out a wire and tied it to the railing behind him, a nice strong knot, "…No way."

"No risk no glory," Lelouch chuckled while he fit the wire into a loop on the inside of his sleeve, "This should send about half of them at least into confusion, and the other half straight after me."

"You really do earn that nickname. Phantom Prince," Karen said, practically the entire female student population of the academy came into view, "Better get going."

"Ladies! This is hardly fair, swarming me all at once like this," Lelouch laughed as he hopped over the side of the railing, taking his makeshift zip-line down to the bottom floor, four floors down.

Several male students were at the bottom of the school as well, seeing Lelouch they broke into laughter, "The Phantom Prince strikes again," they laughed out while Lelouch cut the line.

"Heh, start taking your bets on how long I can keep it up!" Lelouch responded while removing his coat, revealing he was wearing an Ashford Academy uniform under it.

"Ten minutes!" someone yelled.

"Nah, give him more credit than that! Thirty!"

"Your Highness! I believe in you, you'll last two hours!"

"No way he'll last that long against a whole school's worth of girls,"

Lelouch smirked as the conversations continued, quickly ducking into a bathroom when relatively no one was looking. Turning his coat inside out, revealing the inside was like a costume. After a minute or two he had dressed himself up as his black Gloucester, complete with a helmet and mouthpiece. He opened the window to the bathroom and then walked out, to be confronted by a huge crowd of girls, "Hey, have you seen Prince Lelouch?" the apparent leader asked.

"…No can't say that I did, I was changing into my costume, but the back window in there was open when I came out," Lelouch said, his voice being changed slightly by the mouthpiece to have a slightly mechanical sound.

"Thanks!" the leader said, leading the pack outside now.

Just then, a guy in a Lancelot Costume appeared, took one look at Lelouch and chuckled, "You are bold," Suzaku's voice said, not altered at all, causing Lelouch to chuckle as well.

"You're one to talk, you had the same idea," Lelouch responded as the two began to walk together, "How'd you come up with that?"

"I just sat down and thought about what would you do?" Suzaku answered while the two of them walked.

"So the boldest and most crazy idea you could think of?" Lelouch summarized, "Makes you wonder how I got the nickname Phantom."

"You vanish without really vanishing, people expect you to be hiding or sneaking around, you hide in plain sight," Suzaku said, "You've always have been like that. So why did you come back? Things aren't finished yet."

"Partly to calm the people, when they see me relaxing instead of frantically working, they get the impression that things are perfectly under control and will be over with soon," Lelouch said with a smirk hidden under his mask, "Plus there are other reasons for me to be here."

"I see, so that's why you turned things into a big game as well," Suzaku chuckled, then he added, "Well then, I suppose we should split up, no sense in giving you away."

"I'll see you later then," Lelouch said, waving Suzaku off and parting ways with him.

Back at the government headquarters, "We're sorry your highness, we lost him within ten minutes, we never anticipated that a he would get mobbed by so many women," a special forces member apologized while kneeling before Schneizel, "We can't find him at all, he's completely vanished."

"I figured he would, it was a clever ploy on his part, he likely foresaw this happening and used it to his advantage, he's making his move during this festival, the question is what move is he making," Schneizel said, taking a sip of tea, "My little brother has multiple pieces to move, whatever that move is. And the watch on this, Cecelia?"

"She's not even bothering to avoid detection," the special forces member reported, "If I didn't know better I'd say she has nothing to hide."

"Indeed, good work," Schneizel said dismissing the man, after he left he turned to Bartley, "Well, what do you think?"

"Perhaps that immortal has very little to do with whatever he is planning. Keeping her near him could just be a way for him to contain information pertaining to Code-R. I can't imagine what else he would be using her for," Bartley said, "Unless she's trained to fight, then I suppose she could be acting as his sister's bodyguard."

"That would make sense," Cornelia said walking up to the two, having left after their earlier conversation, "An immortal bodyguard, I can imagine nothing better. And it would fit him, he has always been very protective of Nunnally. Placing this woman near her so that she could enjoy a somewhat normal life would be something he would do."

"Then that woman probably has little to do with why he returned today," Schneizel said, bridging his fingers.

"Perhaps he went as a morale booster, him appearing carefree would be a sign to the common people that everything is going well and will be okay soon," Cornelia analyzed.

"I won't deny that's likely one reason, but with him, to assume that's all is foolish," Schneizel said, "We'll keep an eye on him still."

Back at the Ashford Academy, Lelouch was back on the roof, still in costume, C.C. standing next to him facing the entrance to the rooftop. "Those watchdogs are rather annoying," C.C. commented, annoyance quite clear in her voice, glancing down towards the ground for a second before returning her attention to the rooftop entrance, "So what did you want?"

"I want your help dealing with G.G. I'm in a bit of a bind thanks to her," Lelouch answered.

"I see, so that's why that girl's absent today," C.C. guessed, "Using her as a hostage to get you to come out to a killing field then?"

"Indeed, which is why I want your help C.C.," Lelouch admitted.

"Immortality and immunity to Geass. I suppose I should, it's my fault things have gotten to this point, I should have dealt with Mao, if not for him they would never have gotten this far," C.C. sighed while stretching, "But I'll need some way to get away from the those dogs of yours."

"Not mine, most likely my brother's. Bartley is back and likely told Schneizel about you, a little research likely lead him to 'Cecelia.' Schneizel suspects something," Lelouch said with a chuckle, "Not like it would help him if I was truly planning something against the Empire. If I was planning on a coup, he'd never learn about it till after I had begun."

"So when will your forces be ready for the invasion of the Federation?" C.C. asked, a slight smirk on her face.

"Couple of months, less if I can handle this G.G. matter on schedule," Lelouch said and then removed his mask to whisper into C.C.'s ear, using his hand to cover his mouth from sight from the ground, "Good job, you caught on quickly enough. Schneizel is a problem, but a manageable one, you know your job?"

"Of course boya," C.C. smirked, "Like I can't see through your plan easily."

Back with Schneizel, Cornelia, and Bartley, they just received the latest report from the special forces, and all three looked troubled. "G.G. and C.C." Bartley spoke up after the special forces officer left, "Two immortals…"

"Geis…Irish folklore, a word for vow. Specifically prohibition and taboos," Schneizel said, narrowing his eyes, "Something that is forged between immortals and heroes…usually women are the immortals."

"Then whatever this is, we're not dealing with the real world, we're dealing with something beyond that," Cornelia added, "Though I'm glad that he's not planning a coup. But an invasion of China, with what forces?"

"The Black Knights most likely," Schneizel said, smiling slightly, "He has the factories and is building the equipment. The Black Knights would give him the forces he needs. It's an obscure law, but those with relatively like felonies can be given pardons for service to the Empire. But I don't trust something about this, he gave this information away so easily."

"Your majesty?" Bartley asked.

"It's like he wanted us to know this, to throw us off the track of his real goal…" Schneizel sighed as he took out a Black King and placed it on the table in front of the three of them, "He's cleverly made it appear he is prime for checkmating. But there's a trap that we can't see."

"Why not ask father?" Cornelia suggested, confused as to why Schneizel was having such problems with this matter, "He may know something of this."

"No, I will get to the bottom of this matter personally. It will be my victory,"

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter. Decided I didn't need the information I thought I would need quite yet. I'll see if I need it next chapter, but don't expect fast updates until I get some more info on Anya. Now onto those questions…

1) Schneizel knows an awful lot already, kinda upstaging Gino big time here. But the question is: Do you think Schneizel is following Lelouch's plan? If not, what does Schneizel know that Lelouch doesn't want him to know?

2) What do you think Lelouch's plan is exactly? He's going to be using C.C., but how is he going to use her?

And that's all, now press that review button or I will give someone a villain song.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	26. Theft

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, if I did…I really can't think of anything clever for episode 15…it was the one episode I have no complaints about.

Author's note: Wow, first time this fic got off the front page of this section in a long while.

Stats: 602 reviews (18 last chapter), 54041 hits (1133 last chapter), 16 c2s, 169 favs, and 174 alerts

* * *

"He should be coming soon," G.G. said sitting confidently in the middle of a large field surrounded by woods outside the Britannian Settlement, well over five hundred meters in all directions around her and the edge of the forest.

"Is this necessary? Can't we just release the girl now?" Chiba said, standing nearby watching Shirley who was sitting down tied down and gagged.

"No, if he can't see her he won't come out, if we weren't in this open place he would carefully plan his attack better to take into account of Mao," G.G. explained, "He'll come, and you'll get your chance. The other Holy Swords are on standby as well, he won't escape, he won't risk information on the power being revealed either. He'll be banking all his bets on his power."

"Here's here," Mao said looking at the edge of the clearing, wearing his Rei outfit, and then chuckled, "He's here as Zero."

And just as Mao said, Zero appeared from the edge of the forest, "Release Shirley this instant!" Lelouch's voice came calling out.

"Chiba, do the honors," G.G. directed with a smirk on her face, "Get close to him and then kill him."

"Fine," Chiba said, yanking Shirley up, "Come along, you'll be free soon, just do as you're told and she won't hurt you." Leading Shirley across the field, she stopped about a hundred meters from Zero, and held up her gun, activating her Absolute Perception as both eyes glowed with the sigil, "I'll let her go after you're dead, don't worry your majesty, I'll make sure of that."

"Nagisa!" Zero yelled out, in what was decidedly not Lelouch's voice as Zero removed his mask, revealing who it was underneath, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Chiba was stunned seeing his face, "Toudou…Toudou-san?" she stuttered out, her eyes going wide, "But…but you…"

"Honestly," Lelouch said walking out from the forest, dressed as his royal self, "You believe everything you hear too easily." Lelouch took out a small receiver and said into it, "Black Knights, move out and capture the European Woman and the Chinese Man." Looking at Chiba he said, "I do suggest you release my friend before I become rather cross with you."

"Looks like you predicted things perfectly," Toudou said turning to look at Lelouch, and looking at Chiba's eyes he said, "Though I am going to be wanting an explanation about that."

Several vans stormed out of the forest, and several Sutherland as well, quickly surrounding G.G. and Mao, G.G. roaring out, "How!? You're letting out information on that power of yours! You're…"

"You misunderstand something, G.G.," Lelouch answered, having taken out a loudspeaker, "Geass is merely a weapon for me. No different than a concealed gun. I am Lelouch Vi Britannia, that is my real power. My power is in those who have chosen to follow me, and how I choose to lead them. That's where you've failed. You relied on that power and that power alone."

As soon as Chiba had released Shirley she ran over to Lelouch and hugged him, "I was…"

"I know, it's over now, you're safe," Lelouch said softly, as both G.G. and Mao were being restrained, both of them trying in vain to try and convince the Black Knights on Lelouch's side from taking them. Which was quickly put a stop to when they were both bound and gagged, "Sorry it took so long. I didn't want to move rashly and endanger you."

"Toudou-san, it was reported that you were dead," Chiba said as the other Holy Sword came running out of their hiding places from around the field, speaking in Japanese now, "Executed."

"A dead man is a lot harder to find than a living one," Toudou said with a smile, also speaking in Japanese, "Our greatest ally, the Japanese people's greatest ally is and always has been Lelouch Vi Britannia. We were fools not to see it."

"My Prince," a Sutherland pilot said, the cockpit opening revealing it was Jeremiah Gottwald, "Everything is secured and according to reports Schneizel is still following that woman."

"Excellent, then that likely means that this operation was conducted in secret as planned," Lelouch said, and then looking down at Shirley who was still hugging him, and shaking in relief he said, "Shirley, listen to me. You can't tell anybody what you saw or heard here or while you were captured."

Shirley was silent for a moment when she asked, "…because you didn't execute Toudou like you said you did and are making use of former terrorists?"

"Among other things," Lelouch answered simply, "I intend to become the next Emperor, and I need the Japanese to do that. For that I need people like Toudou."

The Holy Swords looked at Jeremiah who descended from his Sutherland and walked up to Toudou, holding his hand out to him while saying, "Good work, it wasn't much but you did your part splendidly."

"Why is the leader of the Purist Faction…" Chiba began to ask when instead of Jeremiah, Toudou interrupted.

"The meaning of the Britannian people is to be strong. We're Japanese, but we're also Britannians. As long as we remain strong we are," Toudou answered for Jeremiah.

"Yeah, basically, his Majesty had to explain that to me," Jeremiah admitted, then with a smirk he added, "So what are you going to do?"

"What?" Asahina asked, looking skeptically at Jeremiah, "You mean we have a choice?"

"Naturally, I hate not making use of useful people," Lelouch said as Shirley finally let go of him, "You've got two choices, rot in prison for your crimes, or join me. Not much of a choice, but I'm obligated to make you choose."

"If Toudou trusts you then I will too," the largest of the Swords answered, Senba, "You have my sword."

"And mine," the other three answered immediately, all four kneeling down to Lelouch now.

"Well that takes care of three concerns, seventeen more to go," Lelouch said with a smile., "With any luck I'll have five more out of the way by the end of the day." A limousine pulled up next to them as Lelouch turned around and opened the door for Shirley to get in.

"Wait. Don't you want to know where the…" Chiba asked, astonished that Lelouch wasn't asking a very pressing question.

"G.G. likely left them orders to move to new hiding locations before she left. She's smart I have to admit, but she lacks the foresight necessary to play on my board and that's why she lost," Lelouch answered, getting in the limo after Shirley did, Jeremiah getting in afterwards, the car then driving off.

"So that's the Glorious Strategist," Chiba said watching them drive off, "We lost, completely didn't we?"

"It's not so bad, being Britannian if it's under a man like him," Toudou answered her question, "Amusing that someone so young is so capable. He was scary as a mere child, but with seven years to mature, he's become more like a god, or a demon."

"Aren't you giving him too much credit?" Urabe, the most terroristic looking of the swords asked.

"You haven't seen what he has planned," Toudou said with a chuckle.

"You seem, a good deal happier than you used to old friend," Senba commented looking at the man.

"I suppose I am, to be serving under a competent lord is a Samurai's greatest pride,"

Elsewhere, atop the rooftop palace at the Britannian Headquarters, "You're saying all she did was go out for Pizza? And that Lelouch never showed up?" Schneizel asked a special forces officer who was reporting to him, "Then what was all that he was doing yesterday?"

"We don't know your highness, but from the few members we sent to try and spy on him, they managed to catch a glimpse of a large number of vehicles move, they were marked strangely. If I were to venture a guess, yesterday was only meant as a diversion. He knew he was being monitored when he had that conversation and wanted to let you know the information he gave out," the special forces officer replied to Schneizel, who narrowed his eyes at the thought that he had been played for a fool.

"That, such an audacious plan would be just like him," Schneizel said angrily, dismissing the special forces officer, "He played me for a fool. So what happened, why would he go to such a great length to conceal his actions…this Geis, he doesn't want me to know the details behind it. It's a warning, he's telling me not to interfere with his plans." Schneizel turned to a chessboard and moved a black bishop to check a white king, "A threat. He's telling me here is well aware of what I'm doing here. And that he's perfectly capable of operating even under my watch. That my actions are only an annoyance. No, it's a statement of fact, this is above and beyond a mere threat, this is a declaration of war on his part. He is saying that Area Eleven is his and his alone, no one can interfere with him here on this ground." Schneizel smiled and then continued, "Very good little brother. You have matured magnificently. A worthy opponent for me. You likely do plan on conquering China, then you plan on taking the Throne for yourself, it would explain how hard it is to collect information from the solders here. They are already loyal to you and you alone. Placing their bets on you to be the next Emperor."

Just then an explosion came from Schneizel's airship, from the Avalon, he looked out and then his eyes twitched, "The Gawain, it…" Schneizel immediately took out a cellphone and dialed a number, "Report."

"Someone of European Descent broke in, I don't know how he did it, but everybody between the entrance and the Gawain's hanger was killed, it didn't even look like they put up a fight. He was wearing a leather jacket and leather pants. It looked like some of them even killed themselves," someone on the other end reported.

"What…Access the damage and recover from it as soon as possible," Schneizel said as he hung the phone up, glaring now, "The European Union is behind the terrorists here in Area Eleven. I'm going to have to defeat them before I can concentrate on arranging that marriage between Tianzi and Lelouch. How annoying."

From behind a corner, having listened to the whole thing, Anya Alstreim was leaning against a wall. The same impassive face as ever on her face, showing no emotion at this information, and then left to head down into the lower offices.

Aboard the Gawain, a giant Knightmare frame that could fly through the sky, a European Man was piloting in the two person cockpit, having taken the upper one. A smile on his face as he made his way out of the settlement at surprising speed, "G.G. was right, this thing will prove unusually useful. Well, well," he said looking down at the ground, seeing many vans moving out from a large field, his eyes glowing brightly with the sigils for the Power of the King, "It looks like she lost her bet. No matter, I'll break her out in due time. Wonder how that brat did it. Guess I shouldn't take him too lightly if he could outsmart someone who is over three hundred years old. Well then, Kohai, I look forward to how you deal with me, I won't be so easy to deal with as my little brother."

In one of the vans, where G.G. was being held, she started chuckling through her gag, looking up as best she could. Leaving her guards wondering what she was so happy about. "What are you so happy about?" a Britannian guard demanded removing her gag for a moment.

"Kain," she said with a smirk, "He'll kill you all." And then the guard snorted and put her gag back on, deciding she was being delusional.

* * *

And this is where I'll end things for now, a bit shorter than usual, but considering the number of plot twists I think it's acceptable. Now onto those questions…

1) I bet no one saw G.G.'s little plan backfiring so magnificently (Especially after I made every attempt to steer people away from that conclusion). But G.G. seems rather confident despite having lost with two Geass users on her side. Which is certainly implying that our new Geass villain Kain is quite powerful. What do you think his Geass is? And no, it's not a canon one.

2) Lelouch just gained the Holy Swords and contained Mao and G.G. from causing him more problems. But do you think that's going to backfire right into his face? If so, how?

3) Well Anya knows Schneizel's plans now, what do you think she'll do with that knowledge? Stay quiet, or tell Lelouch about it?

4) Shirley knows an awful lot. Arguably a lot more than Euphemia, Suzaku, and Kallen combined right now. Do you think she'll be able to keep quiet about everything she just learned?

And that's all, now press that review button before Kain turns his Geass on you.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	27. Azuchi

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, if I did we'd all have cavities due to how cute C.C. just became.

Stats: 627 reviews (24 last chapter), 56184 hits (705 last chapter) 17 c2s, 172 favs, and 179 alerts

* * *

Shirley was leaving her home the next day, still relieved that Lelouch had stuck around to help her explain where she had been. Then suddenly a feeling of absolute dread washed over her, she couldn't explain it, but it was there, and it was overwhelming. "Shirley right?" a deep male voice asked from behind, "Don't bother turning around. I heard about you from G.G."

Shirley's feeling of dread just became perfectly justifiable, "Wha…"

"Just tell the brat prince these four words, Vain, Gawain, Fear, and Bridge. If he's anywhere near as smart as he's heralded to be he'll know what it means. And no, past this I have no intention of bothering you, if you do as your told. When he asks when say noon, I assume you meet him long before then," the man behind her ordered, it was Kain.

"You'll…"

"Nope I won't, he won't have time to pull off the stunt he pulled yesterday, not that it would do him any good. I'm not so rash as G.G. is," Kain chuckled, "Now run along, I have some tails to take care of." Kain continued on his way, opposite of where Shirley was heading, and he came across her two tails. Undercover special forces members, he smirked as he looked both of them in the eye. And then they both put on expressions of absolute terror and shot themselves. "Absolute Despair," Kain chuckled as he walked along, "No power is greater."

Kain went to the park and to the bridge where Lelouch had been attacked by Chiba two days ago. And he waited, and it wasn't long until Lelouch showed up, in civilian clothing having long since ditched any tails he might have had. Well before it was noon, Kain looked over to him and activated his Power of the King a second to confirm he was the one Lelouch was looking for. And then he placed a pair of opaque sunglasses on. Lelouch walked up to him and asked, "What do you want Vain and how did you survive?"

"Just to congratulate you, and it's Kain, we were twins. I'm leaving this area with the remnants of the Black Knights. I know when to cut my losses. I could probably cause you quite a bit of trouble, maybe even kill you, but I won't be able to get away as well. And that's not acceptable. I'll meet you on the next stage, China right?"

Lelouch glared at Kain, "Tch, yes. You've apparently read my plans well. Very well, Fear, I'll defeat you there," Lelouch replied to the challenge, "Was that all you wanted?"

"Yes, that's all, don't worry. I don't play as dirty as G.G." Kain said with a chuckle, "Not my style, I prefer to play by the rules. Obediance." And with that Kain walked off, not particularly caring if Lelouch followed him or not.

"Your Majesty," Gino said appearing from a hiding place, "Geis, G.G., Immortals, Chinese Invasion…You've been busy and I have no idea what's going on."

Lelouch smirked without turning around, "Well you knowing about those things is surprising, I had expected Schneizel to be receiving that information but not you."

"By my authority as a Knight of Rounds under the authority of Charles Di Britannia the Emperor of the Holy Empire of Britannia, I insist that you tell me just what is going on," Gino demanded walking towards him now.

"My bid for the throne naturally," Lelouch said turning around to look at Gino now, "Why else would I go to so much trouble to look up obscure laws, make intricate and complex plans to form my own army, all while making sure only I would receive the credit for it?"

"Your bid for the throne, you are one of the prime candidates for the throne," Gino said narrowing his eyes, "I don't believe it."

"Prime candidate or not, Schneizel and Cornelia are both more likely to take the throne than me due to their invasion of the EU. If either is successful I won't gain the throne by merely sitting here protecting Area Eleven," Lelouch stated simply, and unafraid of what Gino was trying to imply, "Only by claiming China can I even have a chance at the throne."

"You're doing this without…" Gino began to say when Lelouch smirked in response, "You found some obscure law haven't you?"

"Naturally. I'm acting perfectly within the confines of the rules," Lelouch said arrogantly, "As long as I do that I'm upholding my duty as the Governor-General and a Prince of Britannia."

"You've reported none of this Geis business, or these immortals," Gino countered, to which Lelouch gave no reaction but indifference.

"I hardly understand it myself. There is hardly any point of reporting it until I know the truth behind it," Lelouch answered, having chosen his words fairly carefully, "I would look be a fool and a child if the moment I found out something unusual or strange existed I went running to my father. I had every intention of informing him after I learned just what those things were. Immortals and contracts is hardly detailed information."

"Then what of the airships you are making, I've investigated those factories of yours, even the hidden ones. Yet I can't find the designer. You have the one who developed the Guren don't you? You have that person hidden away somewhere and you're using them to develop technology apart from the Seventh Generation project," Gino accused, changing subjects because he had obviously failed in the first one.

"If I did it would hardly be any business of the Empire, I found traces that the machine was purchased on the Black Market. If I have the designer that would merely mean I tracked them down and offered them a job," Lelouch answered, not missing a beat, enjoying every minute of this, he had prepared long and hard for just this situation.

"I…why…" Gino sputtered out, now at a loss for what to do.

"Continue playing your role as watchdog," Lelouch said as he walked past Gino, "I have nothing to fear. Anything you sniff out won't incriminate me of anything. It'll just take the surprise out of my actions."

"Glorious Strategist…" Gino said, clenching his fist, "I see, I won't find anything you don't want me to find, that's it isn't it? You have something you don't want me to see, to report to your father. Something bigger than immortality or your secretive weapons. But I won't be able to find out either. You hid it too well, hid it underneath the underneath, that's it isn't it?"

"Sure, believe that if you like," Lelouch answered nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders as he walked off, a nagging in the back of his mind that Gino was becoming dangerous.

Elsewhere, at the nearest pizzeria, C.C. was happily eating a large pizza slice by slice while looking out at the park. Where she could clearly see several people keeping a close eye on her. It was an annoyance to be sure, but it wasn't something she couldn't deal with. "C.C. it's been twenty years hasn't it?" a young voice asked, long flowing blonde hair appearing in the corner of C.C.'s eye, a small boy hopping up into the chair opposite of C.C. while he took a slice of pizza, and took a bite, "I'll never understand why you're so crazy about pizza."

C.C. narrowed her eyes and said, "V.V."

"I must say, a bold contract to make this time. The Glorious Strategist, Prince of Britannia, Lelouch Vi Britannia himself," the boy said with a playful smile looking over at C.C., "But it does offer you a small amount of protection." The boy, V.V., exhaled and then he took another bite, "We'll be leaving the two of you alone for the time being. His actions are rather amusing. And quite well planned. Neither of us are sure of all the details. But we know he's gathered a large number of pieces to his side. He reminds me of Charles in that way."

"You…what do you plan on doing with…" C.C. asked, her voice like sharpened steel.

"Charles won't live forever. He is my dear little brother but I know that he'll die someday, we may not be able to accomplish our goal before that time. So I want to stay neutral, and when he takes the throne I'll be there to offer him my assistance. If I do nothing to anger him he'll likely gladly accept the help of another immortal, someone who will be there to help him for all time, even after you give him your immortality," V.V. said with a sly smile.

"You plan on making him the next emperor, regardless of his actions," C.C. said, calming down now, "When he gains immortality, he'll be the perfect emperor, undying, competent, and above all else reliant on your emotional support?"

"Indeed," V.V. said with a small smile, "But with him working for it like he is doing, it'll be more believable for him to take the throne when the time comes."

"Fine, as long as you don't interfere with me," C.C. said, having lost interest in V.V.'s plotting and wanting to go back to eating her pizza.

"Oh have you heard, he captured your last little boy toy yesterday," V.V. getting C.C. attention as he hopped off the chair and started walking away, satisfied he had managed to get under her skin.

Meanwhile Gino and Lelouch were walking side by side, both dressed in civilian clothing now, "I can't believe you convinced me to dress like this," Gino muttered under his breath.

"I can't believe you convinced me to not ditch you," Lelouch grumbled back.

"You're not getting off the hook unless I see what you're up to," Gino stated watching Lelouch out of the corner of his eye, Lelouch leading them down an alley to a small elevator.

"Hardly anything illegal, just secretive," Lelouch answered as the two got in, Lelouch punching in a series of numbers to the elevator. The door closing in front of them as they went down.

The moment the door opened, Rakshata was standing in front of the door with a smile on her face, "Good afternoon gentlemen, welcome to secret research and development center seven. I'm Rakshata Chawla the head scientist here." Taking a look at Gino she said, "The Knight of Three, an honor."

"Rakshata Chawla…the famous medical cyberneticist?" Gino said surprised at who had greeted them, "You're…you're the one who designed the Guren?"

"Oh yes, I'm rather grateful Lelouch here retrieved it for me and gave it to a proper pilot. I couldn't stand the idea that my child was being used for bad purposes," Rakshata said, twirling a pipe in her hands, she had obviously been told the cover story, "Come along then you two. I suppose you want to see what we're working on in here? Or in Lelouch's case how far along we are."

Rakshata led them down into the main hanger of the facility, "Say hello to the Azuchi gentlemen," Rakshata said, the hanger having the framework for a great warship, plans posted over the walls and equipment and parts being moved into place slowly, "The largest and most powerful mobile command center to ever be built. This will be the main module of the finished project, the other three modules are being built in separate facilities. Named after a famous castle belonging to one of Japans most famous conquerors."

"Azuchi?" Gino said, "Wouldn't it have been more appropriate to call it something Britannian?"

"Hardly," Lelouch answered, "It's the flagship for the Japanese forces under my control. Naming it something they would be familiar with is quite appropriate, and really. I rather like the idea of my flagship being named after the castle of a man who against all odds became the supreme ruler of a nation. Who did it through superior tactics, strategy, and cunning."

Gino looked around and saw something that caught his eye, "That's the same design as the Guren…"

"Ah yes, it's coming along rather nicely, the next commander unit," Rakshata said leading the two of them over to a blue and gold Knightmare Frame, it was still fairly skeletal in appearance but you could tell what it was going to look like, "This is the Seiren, Unsullied Spirit is what it translates into. It's being designed as a heavily offensive frame when compared to the Guren's more defensive nature." Looking at Lelouch she added, "I've also completed the preliminary designs for the other two units you asked me for, the Junpaku and the Konjiku are what they'll be called, Pure White and Golden."

"Good work," Lelouch said, and then with a smile added, "How is the Hadron technology coming?"

"Perfectly, I have the cannons under control, and can finish the Mordred in little time if you'd like," Rakshata answered.

"I'd like to see if Lloyd can finish it first. If he decided to leave with Schneizel then I'll send it here to be finished," Lelouch said after a moment of thought, "Continue on the current work. How are the mass produced frames and airship designs coming?"

"Be finished within the week, we're ahead of schedule, you will be prepared for the invasion in three months time unless something unforeseen happens," Rakshata explained, twirling her pipe again, "Any questions mister Knight of Three?"

"None, I was worried at first, but this seems incredible. I only want to know why there was a need to hide all of this," Gino asked, crossing his arms and looking at Lelouch expectantly.

"Well me using 'numbers' as my main military force would hardly be seen as appropriate or desirable by the nobles of Britannia, thus saving me a lot of headaches," Lelouch said, being sure to throw up quotations hand signs when he said 'numbers.'

"Better to do and ask forgiveness than to ask permission?" Gino sighed, "I suppose nothing is unusual, I'll keep quiet about this. It's not something that needs to be reported in detail."

"Most appreciated Knight of Three Gino Weinberg," Lelouch said with a smile.

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter. If you can't tell things for this stage are about done with, a few more chapters to tie up some loose ends and then we'll be moving onto stage 3. And now Kain has proven he's infinitely smarter than everybody who has opposed Lelouch thus far, he won't fight him on his own ground and on his rules. And he's appears to know quite a bit about what Lelouch has planned (oh yeah, prepare for a battle royal in the next stage). Now onto my questions

1) Out of the major players in this fic, who do you think has the most control over the whats going on? Lelouch, V.V., Schneizel, Kain, or Charles? Say why while you're at it.

2) Who do you think has the strongest (or most fearsome) Geass out of the major players, Kain's "Absolute Despair," Lelouch's "Absolute Obedience," or Charles' Memory Geass? (I'm thinking it's supposed to be "Absolute Truth" or "Absolute Lie" myself)

3) What do you think of the airship's name, the "Azuchi?" If you don't know that name off the top of your head, you should know the name of who it belonged to if you're an anime fan, "Oda Nobunaga."

And that's all, now press that review button before V.V. steals some of your Pizza.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	28. Tragedy

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, if I did, well lets say we'd have more Guilford (I'm surprised I actually like him too)

Stats: 650 reviews (22 last chapter), 59063 hits (743 last chapter), 17 c2s, 174 favs, and 182 alerts

Author's Notes: I've started a new fic if you're interested, "Unassuming Enemy" which follows V.V. instead of Lelouch (strange I know), and it's the first V.V. fic on the site. If you want to know the update schedule for my fics, well check my profile.

* * *

"I still don't get it, why all the secrecy?" Gino asked Lelouch, the two taking the elevator back up above ground, out from the Azuchi's construction facility, "There wasn't anything there that needs to be hidden from the Empire."

"Because of Schneizel, he has something planned for me, I can tell. If I show my hand before he shows his I could end up losing the Throne," Lelouch answered simply, and fairly honestly, "I do want to know what it is though. Any ideas?"

"Not a clue, between the two of you, I'm lucky I managed to catch you doing something I could force my way into the know on. Speaking of which, who was that guy? He's the terrorist leader isn't he? Why did you…" Gino began to ask when Lelouch interrupted him.

"Because anything I did would have ended in failure at the time. That man is too powerful to take down without a plan. And I'm talking about him just standing there without weapons of any sort. He's deeply connected to the immortals and Geass," Lelouch said to Gino as the elevator opened, "Attempting to take him then and there would have likely ended in my death. I can only be glad he has decided to change stages for now."

"Someone that can give our Glorious Strategist pause, scary," Gino commented as the two exited, to find an entire squadron of special-forces troops waiting for them, Gino sighed and said, "Relax, he's loyal. Everything checks out."

"That's good, I was worried my little brother was into something illegal," Cornelia said, standing right to the left of the two of them, in a blind spot, "So what was down there?"

"Secret," Gino sang, "A good one too. I see why he's earned that nickname of his."

Cornelia sighed and looked Lelouch in the eyes, "You're using numbers for something, building an army right?"

"Won't deny it," Lelouch answered crossing his arms, "You and Schneizel can have Europe. I'll take China."

Everybody else but Gino was genuinely surprised by that little admission, "…I see," Cornelia said, shaking off the shock of his statement and then smiling, "Surprising that you admitted it."

"You likely already knew I had that planned. No sense in trying to hide it. I'll just hide how I'm going to do it," Lelouch said while looking around, "Well now this proves a problem, how am I going to get out without drawing attention, and I'm going to have to start using a different entrance after shutting this one down."

"Just like a fox," Cornelia commented, "Schneizel is planning on taking the Chinese Federation as well. He plans on selling you to them through marriage to their Tianzi."

Lelouch stopped cold in his tracks, Gino getting an ecstatic look on his face, Lelouch sighed and made a hand motion at Gino, "Get it over with."

"Nah, I'll wait, you expecting it doesn't make it as fun," Gino almost giggled out, he enjoyed that little revelation.

"So why did you tell me?" Lelouch asked Cornelia, "Aren't you and Schneizel closer than the two of us?"

"While I don't like your policy of integration. I can't agree with Schneizel's plans, making someone not of Britannia a member of the Royal Family and making that many non-Britannian Nobles as a result of his plan. If there's another way to take the country I'll support it however I can. It's only a question of, can you be ready before he is?" Cornelia asked Lelouch, narrowing her eyes while looking into his.

"Good question, if not, I can get out of it," Lelouch chuckled, stroking his chin, then he smirked, "Yes, it'd be risky but there is a way I can get out of that, take China, and never betray Britannia."

"Good," Cornelia said, nodding her head and then addressed the special-forces, "Make it so that no one can find out who exactly was here."

After thirty minutes, Lelouch, Cornelia, and Gino had gotten into an opaque window van and got into the backseats. The three of them being driven off by a pair of special-forces members, heading towards the government headquarters, after a bit Lelouch broke the silence that had fallen on the group, "Well it's nice to know whose on my side in this. But I'm curious, Cornelia don't you want the throne as well?"

"Not particularly, I just want Britannia in good hands, the throne has always meant little to me. I'm not interested in that power and responsibility," Cornelia answered after a moment's thought, "I can't completely agree with you or Schneizel. It's only by a little bit, but I agree with you more on this matter."

They pulled into the government headquarters and exited the car, when a soldier was waiting for them, "Your majesties, I have bad news," he said, gulping down his hesitation, "Princess Euphemia…something's happened to her."

"What?" Cornelia asked, slowly starting to lose her cool, "What happened?"

"She's, I don't know what exactly your highness. She was out with her escort and her knight when they were attacked, a European man in leather. They stumbled upon him and what looked like the remnants of the Black Knights," the soldier said, getting more and more nervous as Cornelia visibly lost her cool, "She's fine…physically speaking…but the man, he apparently looked her in the eye. And since then…it's like she's…"

Lelouch's eyes went wide at this, "Devoid of the will to live?" he asked carefully, clenching his fist.

"Yes," the soldier responded, surprised Lelouch knew what he was getting at.

"You know something of this?" Cornelia asked looking at him.

"Yes I do, I think I know what happened," Lelouch said through gritted teeth, "That bastard…" He looked at the soldier and said, "Where is she?"

"Medical Ward...thirty two, B…" he whimpered out, deciding an angry Lelouch was not a Lelouch you wanted to direct his attention on you.

Both Cornelia and Lelouch immediately began making their way towards Euphemia, both getting in the elevator and closing it before Gino caught up, "What happened?" Cornelia demanded.

"You know about Geass correct?" Lelouch asked.

"Geis? Yes, what does that have to…" Cornelia asked as Lelouch looked at her and turned his Geass on for a moment, "What is…That's what Geis is?"

After turning it off Lelouch said, "It differs between people from what I know and not everybody has the potential for it. The one who attacked Euphemia, his Geass is likely 'Absolute Despair,' despite attempts to lead me to another power. It likely has two modes, direct eye contact and no eye contact. The former likely destroys all hope in a person, which would make most people want to die. The latter application of his power probably only shakes people to a degree that they can barely take actions."

"Then, is there any hope?" Cornelia asked, her voice slightly shaky.

"My power may be able to do it," Lelouch answered slowly, "With mine, it may be possible."

"Your power, what is it?" Cornelia asked.

"Absolute…Obedience," Lelouch said, gritting his teeth, obviously he did not want to say it, but he could come up with a good lie.

"Absolute, Obedience…" Cornelia said, and then her eyes went wide, "You could have ordered Bartley to kill Clovis with that power…you did didn't you?"

Lelouch snorted in disgust at Clovis' name. "It was self-defense," Lelouch answered defensively, "He ordered my death if I learned anything about Code-R. They both were preparing to kill me when I confronted them about it and I barely survived being assassinated by special-forces members devoted to them."

"Then why didn't you report that?" Cornelia demanded.

"He was still family, and it would have caused a great rift in the family if I did. Placing the blame on my other traitor preserved what little unity we still had and kept public order. The minor rift in the military following that was acceptable and easily dealt with," Lelouch answered Cornelia and then smirked, bringing out a small device from his coat, "You're next question is answered by this, this conversation would be garbled to the point of irreparability. I've been caught by recording devices before, I decided to remedy that situation before it worked."

"Hard to imagine, Clovis would really do that," Cornelia said skeptically, not fully believing Lelouch's story, "And how do I know that you're not manipulating me with that power?"

"This secret, even knowing as much as I let you and Schneizel know. That was a secret Clovis was willing to kill to keep. As for how you know, would you be having that thought if I was?" Lelouch countered, "Would I leave the possibility that you'd doubt me if I was using my power. I don't like my power that much, the way it deprives people of free will. But I'm willing to use it when I need to."

"What powers do you know about?"

"Mine, Absolute Obedience. Euphy's attacker, Absolute Despair. Then three others, Absolute Epiphany the user of which I killed, Absolute Perception which I have under my control, and Absolute Understanding who I've captured. I suspect there are more I haven't learned of yet,"

"All those powers, they are mental in origin. So Geass doesn't physically manifest in powers…what of immortality?" Cornelia demanded.

"No idea how that works, but it's linked to Geass in some way, how I don't know," Lelouch answered, and then asked her, "So what will you do?"

"I'll remain silent, for now. I'm going to look into this matter myself. If I find out anything that proves that you're lying though…" Cornelia threatened.

"I understand. I've been completely honest with you here…Cornelia, my power only works once on each person…we need to come up with a command that will erase the Geass used on Euphemia. I can only think of one answer right now…and I don't like it," Lelouch said, clenching his fist.

"What do you mean?"

"Forget everything until you can only remember the time you were happiest without a worry or care, where hope was all you knew," Lelouch said, "That command is the only thing I can think of to erase Absolute Despair. But it would likely destroy who Euphy is now."

"…Don't use that command, there has to be a better one. She'd become a child again with that command," Cornelia said, "Only children…"

"I know, it'd be Euphy, but not our Euphy, nor the one we've come to know," Lelouch said, "It'd be the one from eight years ago."

"Why not, forget despair?" Cornelia asked.

"Same effect, she'd forget everything associated with that as well. It could be a worse command to give," Lelouch said while gritting his teeth again, "I'll tear that bastard to shreds myself if I ever get close enough."

The elevator opened up, the two of them storming out, several doctors appeared about them to escort them to Euphemia. They were saying something, but neither Cornelia nor Lelouch were listening to any of them when they came into the room where Euphemia was, she was asleep and strapped down to a bed, with Suzaku by her side. Lelouch turned to look at the doctors and said, "We are not to be disturbed, do you understand me?" he ordered, glaring at them, getting nervous nods and agreements. He walked in after that, Cornelia already having walked in, and having slapped Suzaku to the floor.

"You're her knight! How could you let this happen?" Cornelia roared at him, "You should have known better than this!"

"Cornelia, this is hardly his fault," Lelouch objected, "There was no way in hell he could have prepared for something like that man."

"He's an old friend of yours, are you telling me he had no idea about any of that?" Cornelia demanded.

"Of course not, only two people knew of its existence until recently. My own Knight and the one who gave it to me," Lelouch stated, "The less people who know of its existence the better. It's something that could cause widespread panic if it were to be released."

"…You two know what happened? Tell me, what happened? How can we fix this?" Suzaku begged the two of them.

"Nee-sama…you'll let me die won't you?" a weak, feeble voice pleaded, Euphemia having just woken up from all the screaming.

"…Euphy no, don't talk like that," Cornelia said, her voice becoming far kinder.

"No…Lelouch, please," Euphemia begged, looking him in the eyes.

Lelouch clenched his teeth and then said, "I'll release you from your pain, I'll fix this," he said and to Suzaku said, "I'll entrust her to you, take her back to the homeland after I do this."

"Lelouch, I thought I said we'd think about what to do," Cornelia said, her anger rising again.

"Look at her and tell me that there's time for it," Lelouch said looking at Euphemia, "Absolute Despair, it's already killing her. I think I have the right command to fix this."

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter. I was surprised it ended up being Cornelia who dropped Schneizel's plan on Lelouch, I expected Anya….Oh look, I see a lot of pitchforks and torches, I think the Euphemia fans are outside my door. Onto my lovely little questions before I pull a Phantom Prince, which I apparently need to restate why I ask them…

I ask these questions to help people review if they can't think of anything to say, the questions based on story elements I introduced that I want opinions on. Do you have to answer? Nope, you can ignore the questions and review however you want. Do I respond to reviews? Yes, if there's something worth responding to I always respond to my reviews (unless the only response I could do would be full of spoilers). Now onto the questions…

1) Well after we got a good look at what Absolute Despair really does (in case you haven't figured it out, it destroys a person's ability to hope) and that it has two ways it can be used, now which Geass do you think is the most fearsome? Alternatively, which Geass is the most monstrous?

2) What command do you think Lelouch has come up with to erase Absolute Despair?

3) I'm wondering, was this incident better or worse than the Euphinator incident?

And that's all, now press that review button before Lelouch gets mad at you.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a message from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	29. Nature of Pawns

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, if I did we'd have…actually we wouldn't have angsty Lelouch, that would make him boring.

Yeah, when I realized the best command for Lelouch to give Euphemia I smacked my head too. Why? You'll find out in like two paragraphs.

Stats: 674 reviews (23 last chapter), 60929 hits (674 last chapter), 17 c2s, 175 favs, and 182 alerts

* * *

Later that night, Lelouch was sitting out on the rooftop of the Britannian Headquarters, at a table with a chessboard placed on it. The board was set up, Lelouch was sitting on the Black Side, his preferred side. "So this is where you were," Karen's voice came, his Knight walking up to him, "I…heard what happened. Suzaku said you fixed it somehow. You used Geass."

"To command her to 'hope,' yes I did, but it wasn't good enough, it's only erased the despair, but it hasn't brought her back…no it only counteracted them," Lelouch said glumly, without turning to look at Karen, "My Geass isn't strong enough to destroy the effects of his, of Absolute Despair."

"So, you really aren't the only one who has that power," Karen said, "I heard that it's over, that the terrorist factions in Japan have either retreated to China or have surrendered."

"It's true, after capturing the two responsible for continuing it and the one who was to take over leaving, there was nothing anybody could do to resist me any longer," Lelouch said, glaring at the chessboard, "Capturing an immortal and two Geass users, I now have many pieces in my control now. But I can't help but feel I've lost because of it."

"You'll win, this is only check isn't it?" Karen asked, kneeling down behind him, "You're a man who has changed the course of history once already, when you captured Japan, you did it so quickly and so completely, you brought a stability to the region. And you brought the fear of you to both the EU and the Chinese, if it wasn't for you, they would have come and attempted to take Japan by now, causing more death and destruction."

"Perhaps," Lelouch said, in a barely audible voice, and then a bit louder he asked, "You know chess terminology?"

"A little bit, I'm not very good at the game," Karen admitted.

"Tell me, which piece do you believe is the strongest?" Lelouch asked with a small smirk, Karen could tell it was a trick question but she couldn't tell what he was looking for.

"…The Knight, the only piece that can threaten another piece besides another knight without putting itself in danger, and the only piece that can jump over other pieces," Karen answered, "The Queen is a good choice, but everybody wants to take the queen unlike the Knight."

"A good answer, but you're wrong," Lelouch said as he gingerly picked up a pawn, "The correct answer is the Pawn."

"The Pawn? You're joking," Karen said, wide-eyed and mystified by his answer.

"The Pawn is the one piece you don't ever want to trade for, unless it's with another Pawn. With that its strength is great, capable of blocking even the Queen. With one single move the Pawn can break a defense, with one single move a Pawn can make the Queen retreat. And then, if you carefully nurture it, the tiny Pawn can become another Queen. No piece has greater potential than the Pawn, it's only a matter of drawing that potential out," Lelouch answered with a chuckle and then replaced the pawn on the board, "In chess matches between two masters, the winner is often the one who can keep the most pawns and then promote the most the quickest. Masters seek to destroy each other's ability to put their King in check while promoting their pawns and trying to check their opponent."

"Most people, would never say the pawn would they?" Karen asked looking at Lelouch, surprised his answer made sense and that he genuinely believed it.

"No, most people are too caught up in the apparent value and power of the other pieces. They fail to see the value in the small and cheap pawn," Lelouch answered and then picked up the Black King, "The people won't follow a King who does not move, nor will they follow a King who does not value all his subjects."

"…that's your motivation isn't it?" Karen asked, feeling like she finally understood Lelouch, "Why you want the throne. You hate how your father and your family just discard their pawns."

Lelouch smiled, "Perhaps. Perhaps you're right about that. Perhaps it's because this King just got tired of being a Pawn himself. I don't know, I just knew at that time, when I was only ten years old, I would show my father that he was wrong about me, about Nunnally, about everybody. I would prove to him that he was wrong," Lelouch declared and then chuckled while turning to look at her, "Thanks, Karen. I needed that."

"I'm your knight, it's my job to protect you, body, mind, and soul. Isn't that right?" Karen asked with a smile.

"I suppose it is. No wonder there are always rumors about Knights being intimate with their princes or princesses," Lelouch mused turning back to the chessboard and then made a move on the black side.

"Wha…what?" Karen stammered out, "Intimate? You mean there are…"

"Most likely," Lelouch said nonchalantly, not phased in the bit about such a rumor, "Especially considering all the rumors that I actually prefer Japanese women with my integration stance in public policy. You'd be surprised of the kind of rumors people start, for the longest time there were rumors of me being a complete siscon….or that damn Gino doing everything he can to make me out as a lolicon…I'll get him for that yet."

"How…how can you be so calm about stuff like that?" Karen asked blushing wildly now.

"They're just rumors, I've dealt with them all my life. It's not like any of them are actually true," Lelouch said turning back to her now and then tilted his head, "You're blushing."

"Of course I am…I mean people think we're…" Karen said, not willing to finish that statement.

"Oh now I'm insulted, you say that like it'd be the end of the world," Lelouch huffed as he walked towards the elevator leading back down.

"Wha…wait I didn't mean it like…" Karen protested and then stopped when Lelouch looked back at her, a subtle 'got you' smirk on his face, and then she realized it. He was teasing her, and doing a damn good job of it. "Onore…" Karen said, forgetting for a moment Lelouch also knew Japanese.

"Really you should really decide whether you like me or want to call me a bastard," Lelouch said with a chuckle, the elevator doors opening as he walked inside, the doors closing, Karen catching another glimpse of that arrogant smirk of his. Despite what happened, he was still himself, which was a comfort. What happened to Euphemia had hurt him, but it hadn't changed him.

Lelouch made his way down to the detention levels of the headquarters, he had moved a single prisoner there from his massive capture of the Black Knights. He walked alone after a guard had let him in, into the detention facility, his royal black and gold coat billowing out behind him as he walked. Standing before the cell he looked in, at an older Britannina man with a double-chin, "Diethart Reid, former newscaster," Lelouch said, not betraying any emotion at all as he looked at the man who was bound in a straight-jacket like prisoner uniform, "Why did you join the Black Knights?"

"So the great and glorious Lelouch Vi Britannia finally decides to grace me with his presence," the man spat out, glaring at Lelouch, "Why should you care? You're going to execute me for treason aren't you?"

"I make a habit of not killing useful people," Lelouch said coldly, an arrogant smirk on his face, "So why did you join them?"

"Britannia is an old story, it's finished, it just doesn't know it yet. I wanted to be on the ground floor of a new story, a new history as it was being made. To record the rise of the first ruler of the world," Diethard answered, glaring at Lelouch still.

"For such a childish reason you betrayed Britannia?" Lelouch asked while looking down on Diethart, "That you played the part of Zero at the battle of Narita?"

"Of course and I would do it…how did you know that?" Diethart asked, looking at Lelouch quizzically.

"The only ones who can shoot are those who are willing to be shot themselves," Lelouch said with a smirk, and then he knelt down to look Diethart in the face, "Ore wa Lelouch Vi Britannia. Soshite, watashi wa Zero desu."

Diethart's eyes went wide, "Impossible, then…you orchestrated everything…but why? Why such an elaborate plan?"

"Zero could do nothing in the long run, but Lelouch Vi Britannia can change the world. Think on that Diethart Reid, we'll speak again," Lelouch said as he stood back up, and calmly walked out of the room, his smirk never leaving his face.

Lelouch dialed a number into his cellphone and then when answered he said, "Jeremiah, has it been secured?"

"Yes your majesty, the immortal has been secured and is being studied by the Code-R team you set up. And she is most certainly not agreeable. Hard to imagine such a thing exists," Jeremiah answered on the other side of the phone call.

"Good, and the other side of the project?"

"They'll begin work on my shortly, I'll be out of commission for a month or two. I've already sent my calls to inform people of that,"

"Excellent, have you seen those plans?"

"The Siegfried, yes I have, I look forward to piloting it your majesty,"

"Good, Lelouch Vi Britannia out," Lelouch said hanging up, and then heard a familiar sound, the clicking of a gun ready to fire. Turning around he saw Bartley, aiming a gun at him, "So you killed my brother and now plan to kill me?" Lelouch said glaring at the portly man.

"I don't know how, but you did it. You forced me to kill his highness Prince Clovis. I'll extract his revenge," Bartley said, snarling at Lelouch while glaring down at him.

Lelouch met his glare with one of his own, he should have killed the man when he had the chance. Then he heard a gunshot, causing him to involuntarily flinching and closing his eyes. But nothing, no pain, he realized someone was shot, but it certainly wasn't him. Opening his eyes he saw Bartley on his knees clasping his shoulder, his gun on the ground. And behind him was Anya Alstreim, a gun in hand, "Are you alright your highness?" Anya asked looking at him with that usual calm dispassion and demeanor.

Lelouch sighed, unusually unnerved from that little encounter, "Yes, phew, I thought I was in trouble there. Good work Warrant Officer Alstreim, no I suppose considering it's only a matter of formalities now, Knight of Rounds Alstreim." Bartley froze up when he heard that, it was likely that he realized that there was no way he could squirm his way out of this.

"Wish I could say that," Gino said walking out from around the corner Lelouch was about to turn, "She turned it down. Some nonsense about wanting to serve under a lolicon like you instead."

It was so subtle that Lelouch almost didn't notice it, so subtly dropped that Lelouch almost let him get away with it, but Lelouch realized at the last second that Gino had just called him a lolicon again, "Damn it Knight of Three, stop calling my a lolicon."

"But you make it so easy." Gino whined as he walked up to Bartley, putting on a more serious face, "You may have convinced Schneizel you were innocent the first time. There is no doubt now, you are a regicide and an attempted repeat offender. I place you under arrest under the authority vested in me by his Imperial Highness, Charles Di Britannia, as a Knight of Rounds."

Gino forced Bartley on his feet and pushed him forward, heading towards the detention cells. Lelouch turned to Anya and asked, "You turned down a position as a Knight of Rounds? Why?"

"The Knight of Rounds are determined by the Emperor. Within a few years you will be the Emperor," Anya said, like she knew more about Lelouch's plans than anybody else. Like that tiny, silent girl, a solder who only did as she was told, had seen through it all. Like she had seen though his illusions, his deceptions, and his traps and saw his true goal, his true plan, and the true him, "That is all."

Lelouch didn't quite know what to say to that, he just nodded his head and said, "Thank you, I can use all the confidence I can get right now. If you would excuse me, I have things I still have to do," Lelouch said with a grateful bow to Anya, one of the few times he would ever bow his head to another person, while he was walking away, he stopped a moment and then said to Anya, "I'll be sure to get the Mordred finished within the next couple of weeks. I expect you'd like to start getting used to it." And then he continued on his way.

It was late at night when he finally returned to his home, all the lights were out at his home when he walked in. He made his way to a secluded room away from the private and servant quarters, one with a large projection screen. He hooked a projector up to a laptop he had and then opened a specific file, a large one. "I see you're back," C.C. commented walking into the room, in a white tank-top and white shorts, that barely qualified as shorts, looking at the projection she read the title, "Azuchi?"

"My main project being completed now. Module Flying Fortress Azuchi. Named after the castle of one of the first man to have conquered the Sengoku Jidai period in Japan's history, only barely failing after a trusted friend betrayed him. The Flying Fortress breaks up into five true parts, one of which is currently a secret to all but the developer and construction crew. Each of the five parts can act independently as it's own flying fortress, but the system's main weapons and power can only be used once they link up," on the screen a simulation of five parts shifting their forms and slowly linking up to one another was shown. The shifting wasn't that great, mostly of panels opening and ports opening up on specific parts of the ships. "The main weapon is the Stark Radiation Hadron Cannon, possessing the greatest destructive capacity in existence. Each module is also equipped with Hadron Cannons which can be used in the Azuchi Form."

"Certainly an impressive weapon, and if I'm reading the scale right, its bigger than your brother's," C.C. commented looking at the designs a little more closely, "That was certainly a big requirement wasn't it?"

Lelouch looked at C.C. and said, "I admit nothing." He opened another file, depicting the as of yet unfinished Seiren, "This is the Seiren, a commander Knightmare Frame, equipped with the Zangetsu Sword system, making use of both MVS technology and the heating technology Rakshata had come up with to match it. Equipped with dual shoulder mounted machine guns, it's a close proximity unit. But it's most impressive piece of equipment is the Tonbogiri."

"Dragonfly Cutter," C.C. commented, Lelouch nodding his head in agreement as a spear appeared on the screen.

"MVS spear point, and then there is this," Lelouch said as a simulation ran, showing the spear wedged into the earth, and then eight Hadron Beams erupting from where it had been stuck into it, "Fortress Class power. The single strongest weapon any Knightmare has ever wielded. But using it as a spear instead of a Javelin would be highly dangerous, risking destroying your own Knightmare from the Hadron beams." Lelouch then stopped talking, he looked behind him to barely catch a door pulled too, someone was on the other side of it.

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter. Well people kept asking me "What about Diethart?" well there's your answer, he's been in prison the entire time (I was hoping you people would just assume that). Now onto the questions…

1) What do you think of this Lelouch's analysis of people and chess?

2) How much do you think Anya actually knows? Or is Lelouch just being very paranoid about that?

3) Well now you people know a bit more about the Seiren and the Azuchi, what do you think of them when compared to the canon equivalents?

4) Who do you think was spying on Lelouch and C.C. as they were going over the technical stuff over the weapons Lelouch was building?

And that's all! Now press that review button before Bartley…actually that's not a very threatening thing is it?

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	30. Seiren Launch!

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass, if I did we'd have had that Toudou/Chiba scene earlier.

Author's Note: Contrary to what many people think, Pawns are actually incredibly powerful when used correctly. Proper pawn work means the difference between a good player and a bad one. Meaning Lelouch's little speech last chapter was both symbolic and a tactically sound strategy.

Lelouch's Note: Off crying in a corner, "Why do people keep making these lolicon and siscon accusations against me? Can't a guy be nice to young girls and dote on his sister without being accused of being a pervert anymore?"

Author's Note: I think you people broke Lelouch.

States: 703 reviews (26 last chapter), 64073 hits (877 last chapter), 18 c2s, 178 favs, and 185 alerts

* * *

Lelouch walked towards the door, hearing a gasp and then someone taking a deep breath prior to holding it. He smirked, there was only one person who this could be, "Sumeragi, come out," he ordered, Kaguya opening the door having started breathing again, in her pajamas and holding something behind her back, obviously embarrassed she had been caught, "How much did you hear and see?'

Kaguya wasn't looking him in the eye at the moment, "…about halfway through, the Azuchi stuff," she reluctantly admitted. "You've made the Black Knights an official army, that was your plan all along, and by doing so you would show that the Japanese were equals to Britannians…" Kaguya continued, choosing that moment to take what she was hiding behind her back out, the Zero Mask, "Right Zero-sama?"

Lelouch's jaw went slack and his eyes widened when he saw that she had his mask, something he could not just casually deny considering it was in his home, and where he hid it was somewhere only he should have known about. Composing himself he said, "You do fully realize that I'm not going to be able to let you go home for awhile now."

Kaguya smiled weakly, "I figured…but, why did you take such a risk?" she asked, the idea of a Prince acting as a terrorist when he could have just set an agent up to do the job for him was dumbfounding.

"If I told you that I wouldn't be able to let you go until everything was over," Lelouch stated and then sighed, "Well given what you already know, might as well let you sit in here and hear the rest, it won't make any difference."

Lelouch went back to his spot in front of the laptop, Kaguya walking in while closing the door behind her. Being sure not to be too noticeable. "So what is that?" C.C. said, Lelouch's attention back on the plans in front of him, pointing at the hands of the Seiren, "They're unusually built."

"MVS technology, a back-up weapon for use when the sword or spear is not an option to use for whatever reason," Lelouch answered, "Spear, Sword, and Hand. Seiren fits him don't you think?"

"Indeed it does," C.C. commented with a light smirk, "What about that one, Junpaku?"

"Nothing concrete yet, mostly preliminary designs and conceptual drawings of it so far," Lelouch said bringing up a different set of images and date, featuring a Knightmare with a heavier basic design than the Seiren, it had the same basic design but, "Hadron Cannons and Slash Harkens appear to be it's main weaponry."

"Ummm…what is a Hadron Cannon?" Kaguya asked timidly.

Lelouch brought up a video at that, "Now your highness, this is the test run for the Gefjun Hadron Cannon," Rakshata's voice played as the video played, a large cannon surrounded by a Gefjun generator appearing on screen. A Sutherland at the opposite end of a long tunnel, "Maximum range is theorized to be about twenty miles, we can't exactly test that in our current facilities but we can test its power. At the opposite end of the tunnel is another stronger Gefjun generator to cancel out the Hadron beam. This is about ten percent maximum power." The cannon then fired, a large red beam erupting from it, and quickly washing over the Sutherland. It shut off and then the Sutherland stood there, undamaged for but a moment, and then it exploded.

Lelouch paused the video and said, "Better explanation than telling you. It's one of the strongest weapons of this coming generation."

"It's called the Gefjun Hadron Cannon then…" Kaguya said holding her chin lightly and then recognition flashing in her eyes, "Gefjun…Rakshata…"

"Sounds like you knew more than you let on," Lelouch said with a chuckle, "A lot more most likely."

"Eh…I don't know what you're implying," Kaguya said, playing dumb, though Lelouch was obviously pro-Japanese, she wasn't ready to trust him.

An instant message popped up on the laptop, requesting live video feed, Lelouch set it up quickly and answered, Toudou popping up on the screen, "Oh? First time you've called," Lelouch commented with a chuckle, slouching in his chair as he rested his head on a propped up arm, "So?"

"The Seiren is ready for it's test run, we figured you'd be interested. But before that, I would like to talk about it, Geass," Toudou said, narrowing his eyes slightly, "Are you alone?"

"Alone enough," Lelouch responded, lighting his Geass eye up, "So Chiba explained as much as she knew about it."

"Alone enough…that means there are people who know of it. Indeed, while I reassured them that I was acting of my own free will, I want to know from you. Did you use your Absolute Obedience on me?" Toudou asked.

"No, there are three things that separate my Geass from Chiba's. The first is that I require direct eye contact with the target in order to use it. The second is that I can only use it once per person. The third is the one that should reassure you, when it activates it causes damage to the target's short-term memory, erasing the knowledge that I did something weird and of anything that happens while under it's effect. You'd have large gaps in your memory if I had used it on you to make you join me. Plus there is simple logic that if I had you wouldn't have any doubts about me," Lelouch explained simply, not bothering to turn his Geass off yet.

"I see, then there was one other thing. You gained your Geass through a contract with someone correct? An immortal," Toudou asked, "Will I be privy to this information?"

Lelouch looked at C.C. who nodded in agreement. Lelouch turned his camera to C.C. who smirked, "Toudou Kyoshiro, a honor I suppose. I am C.C."

"C.C., so do all immortals use a name like that?" Toudou asked, trying to pump C.C. for information.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. A correlation has been made with me and G.G. though," C.C. commented with a haughty look on her face, she had dropped all pretense of being nothing more than a young girl, her eyes taking on a timeless appearance, "Don't bother trying to get information pertaining to me. Better, scarier, and more potent men have tried to do so throughout history, a young pup like you won't get anything."

Toudou looked surprised that he was just called a young pup, then he sighed in realization, "I suppose compared to you, I must be young."

"Well then," Lelouch said turning the camera back towards him, "You said the Seiren was ready for it's maiden launch?"

"Indeed, however Rakshata would like permission to have me go out for a…spin as she put it," Toudou said, slightly embarrassed he used the word like he did.

"Hmmm," Lelouch said, thinking about it, and then smirked, straightening up and typing something into the computer, "Follow this route, it's supposed to be abandoned, originally used for constructing the settlement, it leads outside the settlement and the ghettos to the countryside. Wait a second and….there, I've sent notice that a test run for a new Knightmare is underway at the moment." Lelouch yawned, showing signs of fatigue, but he wasn't about to go to sleep now, not when he was going to start seeing the results of his work ever since Shinjuku.

"That should be more than adequate. Thank you your highness," Toudou said with a smile, he was looking forward to this.

"Heh, you just wanted to have a real test flight," Lelouch chuckled, "Go ahead, and get ready. And don't get out of the cockpit and continue the test regardless of what happens. Prince Lelouch Vi Britannia over and out." He then turned the camera and program off, a satisfied smirk on his face, leaning back and chuckling, "I wonder if that 'information leak' I set up will pay off."

"Information leak? You're expecting something to happen?" C.C. asked, Lelouch picking up a remote and turning the TV in the room on, switching to a news channel, "I see. You want this test flight to be known."

With Toudou, he was wearing a flight suit as he ascended a staircase into the now completed Seiren, the blue and gold Knightmare pristinely polished and shining in the lit hanger. The Knightmare was mostly blue with gold highlights, it had two great golden 'hair' extensions coming out around the chest and draped over the shoulders. Otherwise it looked very similar to the Guren except it was built sturdier. Toudou got into the motorcycle style cockpit and closed it up. "Now Toudou, its still in need of tuning so don't overdo it. Lelouch has probably…" Rakshata was saying over the Seiren's radio when Toudou laughed in response, "So you're thinking the same?"

"Yes, he manipulates information very well. He wants the world to know about the Seiren. A warning and a declaration that he's developing weapons under everybody's noses," Toudou chuckled, "I'm glad he's on our side."

"I am too, he's such an interesting man, you can tell what he wants easily, but it's the why and the how that makes him so very different," Rakshata agreed. In the base with her, watching on a complex set of monitors showing the outside and the inside of the Seiren including inside the frame itself, were the Holy Swords. Rakshata turned the channel off and looked at them, "Excited?"

"Indeed, this is, the first time any full-blooded Japanese person has ever piloted an advanced Knightmare. Entrusting it to Toudou, it's a sign that even if it's only one Prince, Britannia is willing to change. I can't help but think there is a chance for the Japanese people to live as part of Britannia with him," Senba said with a smile on his face, "Its more satisfying than futilely fighting Britannia."

"Senba, you sound like you always wanted something like this to happen, where's your pride?" Urabe asked, obviously not entirely happy with the situation.

"I'm willing to throw it away if Britannia is as well," Senba snorted out, "Though I suppose Lelouch Vi Britannia never had that much pride as a Britannian. His pride is likely in himself rather than what he was born as."

"Ah, I get that feeling too," Rakshata said with her usual light-hearted almost playfully unserious smile, with that slight sense of superiority. Looking at Chiba she said, "That ability of yours, I'm wondering if you'd be interested in one of the commander Knightmares I'm developing…the Konjiku."

"Golden…why?" Chiba asked, a little surprised that Rakshata was offering it to her.

"The Konjiku is being designed as a sniping unit, the Guren was designed as a defensive melee unit, the Seiren was designed as an offensive melee unit, and the Junpaku is being designed as a tactical dominance unit. With your ability, that Absolute Perception, Konjiku is meant for you," Rakshata said, and then turned her channel back to Toudou and said, "You're ready to go. Take good care of my child will you?"

"Yes I will. Seiren! Launching!" Toudou exclaimed, inside the hanger the Seiren's factsphere in it's head lighting up and then the entire frame charged out, onto the secret path under the Britannina Settlement.

On the news channel Lelouch was watching, and now a great many people in Britannia, Schneizel and Cornelia both having woken up after hearing about it were watching it on a large screen. Karen was standing behind them alongside Cornelia's Knights, a tall tanned giant of a man with a diagonal scar on his face named Andreas Darlton, and a slighter pale man with glasses named Gilbert G.P. Guilford. Suzaku was in the doorway, having been dragged from Euphemia's side who was still in the hospital. Gino was sitting alongside the prince and princess up front, interested in if it was the same Knightmare he had seen earlier that day. "What is this now?…Helicopter camera three has picked something coming out of the tunnel, the once secret Knightmare test was no rumor, here it comes!" The Seiren burst forth from a train tunnel as helicopters trained their cameras on it. Gino smirked when he saw it was the same Knightmare. "What is…it looks like it's not alone either, several Sutherland have also exited the tunnel, each with unusual equipment, and one with a camera even!"

"Say, doesn't that thing look like Prince Lelouch's Knight's knightmare? Let's see, called the Guren. Do you think this means Prince Lelouch has the designer of the Guren working for him?"

Karen looked shock as she watched this scene, she knew Lelouch had Rakshata, but she never expected him to have progressed so far already. "Hmph, so you didn't know about this either," Darlton commented, crossing his arms while watching the broadcast, "It looks like the Knight of Three was well aware of this though."

"Lelouch," Schneizel said calmly with a hint of anger, hiding his mouth behind his bridged fingers, glaring at the screen, recognizing the fact that this Knightmare had technology that wasn't developed by Lloyd. It meant that Lelouch now had technology he didn't have access to.

"So this is what he's been hiding," Cornelia said, taking this reveal far better than her brother, watching as the Seiren as it began slicing through target discs shot out from one of the Sutherland with it's hands, "That's an interesting development, hand based weaponry, a last resort weapon that can't be disarmed without damaged the frame itself." The Seiren then switched to its shoulder-mounted machine guns to shoot down the target discs, "What are its main weaponry though?"

"It has a good pilot," Gino commented, smiling as he watched, "Amazing how many Rounds level are in Japan. Miss Karen back there, Suzaku, and now this guy."

"Oh? You'd rank him that high?" Cornelia asked, mildly surprised.

"Knight of Ten at least," Gino answered, "I could probably beat him as long as his main weapons aren't too much more advanced…speaking of which, it appears to be a sword. Oh, MVS and something else, that's interesting."

"The edge, it looks like the one on those pale green Knightmares from the attempted prison break," Karen said, recognizing the technology herself, having stared it down long enough during that battle.

"Yeah it does," Gino said, tilting his head while looking at it a little closer, then the Seiren and the Sutherland following it made it out onto the fields.

In the Seiren itself, Toudou was smiling, it wasn't a big one but he was still smiling, "This Knightmare, it handles so incredibly well," Toudou said as he looked at the sky, "Rakshata, is the Float System ready for a test flight?"

"Indeed it is," Rakshata said with a light laugh, obviously enjoying all the data she was getting from this and how well Toudou was using the Seiren, "Fly."

The Seiren then raised four long extensions from the sides of the cockpit, which formed an 'X' once fully extended. Then parts of it glowed for a second, and it took off into the air. "What!" Schneizel yelled at the Palace above the Britannian Headquarters, leaning forward and his hands going to his knees, "That's the Float System, it's been perfected down to the normal Knightmare level already?"

Schneizel's outburst surprised Cornelia quite a bit, "Schneizel, you're not usually so…"

"Sorry," Schneizel said, composing himself, and leaning back, "Then does that mean he has the Hadron Cannons finished too." The Sutherland then began to shine lights in the air, and moving in a circular pattern on the ground, a rather large circle, with the Seiren floating above them in the air and in the middle of the circle. It was a sign to get out of the way, they were about to do something.

Karen then received a phone call on her cellphone, a rarity that she was allowed to keep it after being kicked out of her Britannian Family because of the normal rule of numbers not being allowed to have them. She answered it, to find it was Lelouch on the other end, "What is this," she whispered, moving away from Cornelia's knights to have some manner of privacy, "You didn't tell me about any of this."

"I had no need to," Lelouch said with a chuckle, "You didn't need to know about it or what else I have being developed. So are they all there?"

"Yes they are, Prince Schneizel is having a fit and Princess Cornelia is impressed. Lord Weinberg isn't surprised, Cornelia's Knights share the same opinion as Cornelia, and I can't tell what Suzaku thinks, he's getting ready to leave," Karen reported as Lelouch chuckled.

"That sounds about right, and I expect you're surprised and wondering where this leave you?" Lelouch asked.

"…Yes,"

"You're my Knight and the Seiren, the Knightmare on the TV, is built for an entirely different purpose than the Guren. It's designed as an offensive frame. Are you watching now?" Lelouch asked, anticipation on his voice.

"Yes I am, why?" Karen asked, looking back at the TV.

"Behold, Tonbogiri," Lelouch said as a Spear launched itself up from the Seiren's back, which it then caught.

The Seiren then threw the spear down to the ground, embedding it into the ground, and then the real show occurred, eight beams of red light, like a Hadron Cannon, erupted from the ground at an angle close to one hundred and eighty degrees, with a length about twenty feet away from the spear before it died out. The beams were slowly growing longer as it began to spin about, pulling up into almost an angle of ninety degrees. It happened in about two seconds, creating an afterimage in the eyes of who watched. The afterimage was like a giant drill, and then the light subsided. The ground started exploding, sending chunks of dirt and dust everywhere, the Sutherland moving further back to get out of the way of the debris. The spear had shot back up to the Seiren before the explosion started, on a long line like a Slash Harken would be, and was caught by the Seiren in its hand. "Ladies and Gentlemen…I don't know how to describe what I just saw here today. I only know that is the strongest melee weapon ever to be developed by the Britannian Empire," the news reported almost stammered out, taken back by the power of the attack.

Off in the Chinese Federation, in the Forbidden City, Xingke had watched the entire thing with a few of his advisors on a huge television screen, alongside many other high ranking military personal. The High Eunuchs sitting at a table having watched it as well, but were clearly unimpressed by what they had seen. At the head of the table, sitting in a throne, was a small albino girl, Tianzi the Empress. Unlike the High Eunuchs, despite knowing very little about military technology, she was terrified by what she had seen, visibly shaking at what she had seen. "How, droll," one of the High Eunuchs commented, not terribly impressed by it, "So is this a declaration of intent on the part of the Dragon of the East?

"Hohohoho, I think it is, it would seem he has no knowledge yet of what his brother is arranging with us," another laughed from behind a long and baggy sleeve, then with a wry look on his face he said, "Selling Tianzi shall truly be a good option for us. Dragons must be appeased after all."

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter, longer than usual, but then again, with the Seiren making it's grand appearance I just had to make it longer than usual. Well then, time for the questions…

1) The Seiren has made its official appearance, with its weapons fully explained and shown off. With that said, what do you think of it? (By the way, read the disclaimer for chapter 3 again…)

2) (This one is for my own enjoyment) How do you think Charles and V.V. reacted to the revealing of the Seiren?

3) Do you think the idea that Toudou was the pilot (and thus wasn't executed like he was said to be) crossed anybody's mind who wasn't in the know already?

4) Lelouch just revealed an awful lot to Kaguya (remember she was there in the same room as him and C.C. during everything that happened this chapter), why do you think he did so?

And that's it, now press that review button before the Tonbogiri gets thrown at you.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	31. Of Brothers and Dragons

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, if I did we'd have more Kaguya

Stats: 729 reviews (24 last chapter), 65979 hits (632 last chapter), 18 c2s, 183 favs, and 187 alerts

Author's note:….holy….I'm like only 13 alerts and 17 favs away from 200 in each…damn, this fic is ultra popular, never imagined it'd get this popular.

* * *

"Good work Rakshata, be sure to pass my congratulations onto Toudou as well" Lelouch said, having watched the live video feed from both the news station and his connection to his research and development facility, "What was the power consumption?"

"For a forty minutes test flight? About thirty percent on the charger for the frame itself, and the Tonbogiri took ten percent of its charger, it's as much a power guzzler as theorized," Rakshata reported, pleased with the test.

"Excellent, tell me did you receive the Mordred today?" Lelouch asked, a satisfied look on his face that everything was going according to plan.

"Yes, I'll have it finished by tomorrow afternoon, it's just installing the proper Gefjun components to the cannons, I have to say, the Stark Hadron Cannon has merit, I'll try and incorporate a similar concept into the Azuchi's systems," Rakshata said, "Anything else your highness?"

Lelouch smirked, it was refreshing, Rakshata used the 'your highness' so casually that one could tell she just saw it as a formality, not a sign of respect or an obligation, "No, that would be all, once again good work."

Lelouch cut the line and chuckled, "Stage two almost complete then?" C.C. asked, obviously bored with the situation now.

"Indeed, another month or two and everything will be ready," Lelouch answered, lounging in his chair in a rather villainous slouch.

"What exactly are you planning?" Kaguya asked, amazed at what she had just seen, and heard. Lelouch possessed a supernatural power, he possessed the most advanced Knightmares in existence at the moment and pilots for them. Then there was the Azuchi, the most powerful strategic weapon in existence being built. Then the fact he was in fact Zero and was using the Black Knights as his own army, none of it added up to her.

"Originally? The plan was to conquer China," Lelouch said with a smirk, looking at Kaguya, "However my older brother is planning on selling me to them like they plan on selling their Tianzi to us."

"A political marriage, so even you can be…" Kaguya began to say, slightly disillusioned after all that.

"Hardly, he never counted on me finding out about it till it was too late. Making this test public knowledge is part of my counter plan, I want him and the Chinese to start rushing this matter. When they rush it they will make mistakes, they will anger certain parties, and I'll get my chance to turn the plan on him," Lelouch explained, taking out a white king and twirling it between his fingers, "It's a good idea, a political marriage, it would give me the reason and authority to fix the situation over there."

"What do you mean?" Kaguya asked, Lelouch bringing up a file on his laptop and opened a rather large number of images, "My…"

"Poverty, famine, sickness, criminal activity, the Chinese Federation is a fundamentally sick government due to who is running it…it disgusts me," Lelouch said glaring at the images, "But it is another nation and I have no authority to change it."

"You planned on conquering them, to change that?" Kaguya asked, wide-eyed and looking at Lelouch with a new found trust.

"That was certainly one motivation. The other is that I need them the solders and the war resources, to gain the throne of Britannia I need them. Schneizel's plan is far better than mine, however I have to take his plan and make it my own," Lelouch fully admitted, seeing a strange glint in Kaguya's eyes, something he recognized from Gino's eyes right before he said the one thing that was getting on Lelouch's nerves, "Damn it, the best plan is just going to make me look all the more like that isn't it?"

"Wha…I didn't say anything," Kaguya said surprised, the rumors had already reached that far.

"You were thinking it. Damn it, maybe there's another way to satisfy my objectives in China," Lelouch said more to himself than Kaguya.

"So why have you let me know all this?" Kaguya asked, changing the subject to something a little less awkward.

"I'd like your help," Lelouch said, looking at Kaguya again, snapping out of his thoughts, "As a diplomat to the Chinese Federation officially, but what I want you to do is gather information for me."

"Like what?" Kaguya asked, not opposed to the idea yet.

"The political shape of the situation over there," Lelouch said simply and then chuckled when he added, "You will not be alone in the matter, I plan on sending a couple of competent…well one competent and one useful person with you and the normal entourage for a diplomat. Though I do have to get those two to agree first."

"Other Black Knights that you haven't converted yet?" Kaguya asked.

"One is, the other is Rei," Lelouch said with a smirk, especially at Kaguya's reaction to him dropping Rei's name, "Rei is a surprisingly simple man, he was merely being used by the real menace."

"But why Rei? How useful can he be if he wasn't the mastermind behind it all?" Kaguya asked, clearly confused by Lelouch's choice.

"Telepathy, he possesses that power," Lelouch answered with a smirk, "Useful, but not particularly competent. Now then, you should sleep on it, I have things I need to discuss in private with C.C. that I'm not willing to share yet."

"Alright…Zero-sama," Kaguya said with a smile as she walked off.

After she left C.C. asked him, "So you plan on selling me to Mao?"

"The opposite, I plan on selling him to you," Lelouch replied without a moment's hesitation, "It'll be up to you how close he's allowed to get to you and how often."

C.C. remained quiet for a moment and then said, "Acceptable."

"Good, well then, Obedience, Telepathy, Perception, all under my control now. Plus an immortal I have no problem exploiting to learn more about Geass," Lelouch said with a smirk as he then stopped, "You said there was someone else who would know of your existence, who?"

"V.V." C.C. answered simply, "The leader of the Geass Cult. A relatively young immortal."

"A third one," Lelouch said and then snorted, "Well if G.G. allied herself with the European Union…and you were probably neutral or allied with the Chinese due to Mao's existence…then V.V. is allied with…my father, does he possess a Geass?"

"Yes," C.C. admitted, "Absolute Truth."

"I see…so my father is well aware of all of this…then you've been contacted by V.V. by now, yet nothing has happened…my father, knows everything doesn't he?" Lelouch asked, clenching his fist.

"The overall plan, yes. The details elude him for now," C.C. answered Lelouch, "He is your greatest enemy in this."

"So he plans to just sit back and watch me then?" Lelouch chuckled, and added, "If the details elude him, then the Azuchi will as well."

"You sound confident, your plans haven't changed at all?"

"Not in the slightest. I let him see the Seiren. He will never see the other two coming. Nor will he see Apotheosis coming, no one will," Lelouch said with a smile, going back to the laptop and opening up one final file, showing a strange looking frame, a highly unusual design, most of it was only conceptual at the moment but the very shape and the notes in the margins made even C.C. gasp in awe, "I was the one who came up with this idea. Rakshata is making it come to life, it is the thing that will take her the majority of the coming months to design and then build."

"That is…that thing is insane…" C.C. said, wide-eyed, "That…you can't be serious….three Druid Systems, that processing power alone…with the rest of this equipment and it's basic design concept..."

"Apotheosis, its power is the same as its name implies,'

In the Chinese Federation, Xingke was out on a balcony of the Forbidden City, clenching the railing tightly enough to make his knuckles go white. He was frightened, shaking while trying to calm his nerves. "That…that machine, that is what Britannia…no, the Dragon, is capable of? No, he's capable of so much more than just that. He let that out so easily, that weapon, the spear. He let that out to the public so easily, as if he was saying, 'behold my power and tremble,'" Xingke said to himself, after seeing what he had, controlling the crippling fear of the legendary Dragon of the East was difficult. "We gave him the resources he needed to do that, the resources he needed to construct that monster, all for some Sakuradite. I never imagined, he could do so much with those resources. If I did, I would have opposed that deal more," Xingke then heard the door behind him open, the door leading back into the palace, turning around immediately and calming himself as best he could he waited to see who would come out.

"Xingke," a timid voice said as the young empress slowly walked outside, "You…you met him right?"

Xingke realized that as scared as he was of what he had seen, Tianzi was petrified with fear, she was the one who was being offered as a sacrifice to the Dragon. He cursed himself for being such a coward as he knelt down to look at his empress, "Yes I have Tianzi-Hou."

"What…what was he like?" she asked, visibly shaking.

Xingke swallowed his apprehension, quickly thinking of someway to ease her thoughts, "A dragon, looking at him, that's all I could think of. That he was a dragon trapped in the body of a man. The nobility of spirit, the wisdom and intelligence in his eyes, and how inferior a man such as he made me feel. How he made the High Eunuchs seem like nothing but twittering insects, a mild nuisance to be dealt with….he reminded me of the last Emperor so much," Xingke said, his last sentence surprising Tianzi, "I never had the pleasure to serve the last Emperor, but I remember him from the few broadcasts of him I saw, that even with his power as limited as it was, he was an inspiration and a powerful man."

"Like the last Emperor," Tianzi said, a little less frightened.

"Yes, when I looked out at the Japanese people, I saw a people who were slowly improving their situation. Their situation was still bad, but it was improving. The man, was terrifying," Xingke said, surprising Tianzi, the idea that even Xingke was scared of him seemed impossible to the small empress, "I could tell though, that despite all his machinations, all his manipulations, all his plans, all his secrets. Behind all that, I could tell that he was a good man. Between him and his brother Schneizel El Britannia, I would say I am more frightened of Schneizel, but Lelouch Vi Britannia is the more terrifying of the two."

"What do you mean?" Tianzi asked curiously.

"Schneizel El Britannia, I have never met the man, but I have heard what he has done and how he has done it. And that he is the one who is arranging your marriage. A man who can coax a dragon into doing what he wants is frightening. But if the situation turned hostile, Lelouch Vi Britannia would be the one I least wish to face," Xingke explained, "They have nicknames for both of them in Britannia I hear, they call Lelouch the Glorious Strategist, for his bold and effective plans. They call Schneizel the Subtle Strategist, for his effective and unnoticeable plans."

"Thank you, Xingke," Tianzi said, pulling herself together, "I feel a little better now. Even if I'm only going to become a prisoner of Britannia after this, I feel better now."

Atop the floating temple in the abyss of clouds, the Sword of Akasha, Emperor Charles Di Britannia and his older brother V.V. the immortal stood, looking out into the abyss. "A blue and gold Knightmare, with power greater than anything we've seen yet. And an airship being developed, named after a legendary castle," Charles said, mildly amused at his son's antics, "Knowledge of Geass and Immortals. And likely having more than one of each."

"He is truly your son," V.V. said with a look that could not be quite described in his eyes, "Also aware of Schneizel's plans. But he has made no move besides this one."

"He likely wants to make Schneizel panic, and to make the Chinese Federation panic. He likely wants them to make a mistake so he can exploit it," Charles commented, amusement still on his face. "My son, yes he is. A personal army, technology to far outpace my own, skilled pilots. Built it all up right under my nose despite how little I gave him to work with. He even managed to steal Anya," Charles laughed at that last part, "Lelouch Vi Britannia, you may very well manage to defeat me in the end. I look forward to your challenge my son, I will crush it like I will crush Schneizel's."

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter, well plenty of little plot twists this chapter. Charles officially knows just about everything Lelouch is doing, as does V.V. by proxy. Xingke is downright terrified of Lelouch (who can blame him being terrified of this one?). And Lelouch certainly isn't helping to destroy those lolicon rumors. Well then, time for my lovely little questions…

1) What do you think Lelouch will make as an official statement on the Seiren's test? Like who will he said was piloting it, the reason it was a secret test, etc?

2) Well then, the diplomatic party Lelouch is planning is going to be Kaguya, Mao (I must be crazy), and someone else. If you're paying attention that last person should be obvious who they are. So who is it?

3) Do you think Xingke is going to still hold his coup against the High Eunuchs? Better question, do you think Lelouch is counting on it?

4) Charles and V.V. obviously are the ones with the most information about what's going on, with Lelouch right behind them. Whose plan do you think will backfire first? Whatever Charles/V.V. is planning (or not planning) or Lelouch's plan or maybe whatever Schneizel is planning that the Emperor knows about?

5) To those of you who keep wondering what Lelouch is going to be piloting, you've gotten your answer, it'll be called the Apotheosis. What do you think has got even C.C. staring in awe about it? Your clues are "It has three druid systems," "It has very impressive equipment," and it's name "Apotheosis."

And that's all, now press that review button before Charles and V.V. plot your downfall.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	32. Stage 2: Complete

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass if I did, well I wouldn't have to look forward to Lelouch declaring "Azuchi Gattai!" I swear that chapter will be fun to write.

Author's note: I love the new feature, I can finally see how many people actually looks at my stories and where they're form…and holy…I've got people from all over the world reading this fic, at least one person for every continent, save Antarctica (now that'd be cool). Also, with that massively quick review storm I got yesterday I actually decided to start work on this chapter yesterday (I hit 17 reviews in like 2 hours). Would have had it done yesterday but this chapter proved pretty tough to do for some reason, not my best chapter, but it had to be done so that I could get to the good stuff in the coming chapters.

Stats: 767 reviews (36 last chapter), 68361 hits (751 last chapter), 18 c2s, 189 favs, and 187 alerts

Wait, how'd it get on more favorite lists than alert lists?

* * *

The next day, Lelouch was in the Student Council room, the first to arrive that day it seemed like. Then he heard the familiar typing sound coming from the corner of the room. Nina had gotten there before him, and had some insanely advanced program she was working on. Lelouch walked over without making any sound, not intentionally doing it, but rather a force of habit from being the Phantom Prince so much lately. Lelouch had only a passing familiarity with physics, but he recognized the theoretical results Nina was coming up with, "Incredible," he commented, causing Nina to jump in her seat, turning her head nervously and then recognized Lelouch.

Breathing a sigh of relief Nina said, "Please don't do that, you scared me."

"Skipping class again?" Lelouch asked with a small smile, "So what is this exactly?"

"Oh it's a theory I've been working on for a long time, splitting the atom to create an enormous amount of energy. It could have incredible results like…" Nina began to explain simply and then stopped, realizing she was talking to someone with an extreme interest in developing technology, and somewhat shakily asked, "Why do you ask?"

"Because this seems like something that I would very much like to fund. The only problem I have is finding a research team to assist you, my own scientists are fairly stretched at the moment," Lelouch said, Nina taking a deep breath.

"Seriously? You mean you're seriously interested in this?" Nina asked, getting a little excited, "I mean, right now its only a theory and there is a chance it couldn't pan out…"

"Well if the actual results are even half of what is being shown here, well it would blow all other forms of power technology out of the water. Not to mention it could have weapon applications…scratch that it would have very powerful weapon applications," Lelouch said looking at the theoretical data again, he smirked, "This could…my god, I never realized how much of a genius you were."

"Your…your highness," Nina slipped, surprised at Lelouch's praise, and then more surprised at the annoyed sigh he let out.

"None of that, we're old friends aren't we Nina? The more people I have who will be my friend before my subject the better off I am," Lelouch scolded her, "Well then, I'll see if I can get together a team to help you with this."

The rest of the Student Council filed in slowly, sans Suzaku as could be expected. The meeting didn't go particularly unusually, Nina was her usual quiet self the rest of the meeting. Rivalz was watching Millay with great interest and hanging off her every word, Shirley doing the same whenever Lelouch spoke. Nunnally just enjoyed herself talking to everybody. Karen able to be herself instead of the sick girl persona, which oddly enough only succeeded to raise her popularity. Millay kept trying to make events that would take advantage of the fact that Lelouch was a Prince, everybody quickly vetoing such suggestions. The school as a whole quieted down since the excitement of Lelouch returning as Lelouch Vi Britannia. And it wasn't long until the meeting was over. Lelouch made his way slowly out of the building, not particularly paying attention to what was going on around him. He exited the building to find a large crowd in front of the school all of them looking up, in front of them he could see two giant reddish purple legs of a Knightmare. Lelouch stared wide-eyed as he slowly walked out, looking up to see it was indeed exactly what he thought it was, the now completed Mordred. Looking up, still apart from the crowd he sighed, not believing what he was looking at. "Prince Lelouch I've been instructed to come pick you up," Anya's voice came in her usual monotone.

Millay suddenly appeared next to him, a smile on her face and a loudspeaker in hand. She handed Lelouch the loudspeaker, clearly enjoying this whole situation. Lelouch sighed while accepting it and then asked, speaking into it, "In a Knightmare? They said to come pick me up in the Mordred, Alstreim?"

"They didn't specify, I was in the Mordred already," Anya reported, still not breaking her monotone.

Lelouch couldn't believe the situation as he handed Millay back the loudspeaker and slowly made his way through the crowd, Anya opening the cockpit to the Mordred and lowering the foot elevator line for Lelouch to take up. One strangely comfortable ride later, Lelouch was taken to the palace atop the Government Headquarters, where the Avalon and Schneizel was waiting for him. After Lelouch was let out, he walked up to Schneizel who only smiled, having gotten over the shock of Lelouch's little display the previous night, "Well I didn't expect she'd take her Knightmare to get you," Schneizel chuckled, "I'll be leaving to take Euphy back to the motherland within the hour, I wanted to say goodbye to my little brother beforehand. I figured you'd vanish if I didn't have someone pick you up."

"A safe bet," Lelouch nodded his head, "Taking Lloyd and Cecile?"

"Indeed, the majority of the Seventh Generation work has been done, as per our agreement I'll oversee the mass production models for the Lancelot and Gawain. Tell me, however did you get the Hadron cannons under control?" Schneizel asked looking at the Mordred.

"You have Rakshata developing for you don't you?" Lloyd asked prancing up to Lelouch, followed closely by Cecile, "I'd recognize the theory behind those generators anywhere, how it erases all traces of a Knightmare gave its nature away. That's the Gefjun Generator."

"You have me there," Lelouch answered simply, "I did indeed contract Rakshata Chawla. I got lucky when I found her. It's hard to find geniuses of your caliber."

"Ara, ara, too kind of you," Lloyd laughed and then said, "Hope you pay attention, I've got all sorts of designs now, once I finish up making the Hadron Cannon instead of cheating to get it working I'll have some really great designs ready. Oh shall I get Suzaku-kun for you?"

"No, let him stay by Euphy's side,"

"Such a kind big brother and friend," Gino said walking up to the group, "Been nice working with you your highness, but with everything I need to do here done and over with I need to return to his majesty. Lucky you, no more having to run around."

Lelouch smirked at they walked inside the Avalon, the dock pulling away as the one he considered his best friend left alongside his siblings and his former best war asset. "Your Highness, would you like me to return you home?" Anya asked from the Mordred.

"Not necessary," Lelouch answered her, "I have things to do here. You may return the Mordred to the hangers." With that she did just that, leaving without another word. Lelouch walked towards the elevator and took it down to the detention levels, it was time to tell Diethart Reid what he had in mind for him if he decided to work with him again.

A couple hours later, Lelouch had successfully dealt with Diethart. And he confirmed it with Geass, Diethart was a simple man, easily swayed by the idea of a Prince who cared for the common man and wanted to change the world to a kinder place. Not that it wasn't more or less true, and then there was Mao. Mao was easy to manipulate, by having placed his connections to C.C. on C.C. herself, nothing he could think could be used against him by Mao. Mao was easy to convince to help gather information for him in China. The rules were set, the players were ready, it was only a matter of time for Lelouch now. Two months of quiet, while all sides prepared for the battle royal to begin, Lelouch's own actions would slow Schneizel's. The Eunuchs would wonder what it was Lelouch was after with his choice of diplomat and escort.

Those two months, everything had gone according to all party's plans. Schneizel had managed to arrange the marriage himself on his own terms, with Kaguya running interference the entire time. However, one problem arose for Lelouch despite that, two more Knightmares had been developed in that time, not his Knightmares Rakshata was developing. The Galahad and the Percival, the Knightmare frames for the Knight of One and the Knight of Ten respectively. Worse yet, Suzaku had somehow been promoted to the Rounds, well depending on how you look at that it was worse. Schneizel had been given command of the Knight of Three, the Knight of Ten, and Suzaku, the Knight of Seven for security purposes for this marriage ordeal.

But it wasn't all bad news for Lelouch, He had learned that a man named Li Xingke was in charge of a faction that spanned over half the Chinese military, and that was opposed to this marriage. They were waiting for a chance to hold a coup, waiting for Lelouch and Schneizel to come and be vulnerable to attack. The team of Kaguya, Diethart, and Mao proved to be a very effective force, Kaguya playing the role of diplomat, Diethart playing the role of advisor, and Mao playing spy.

The test flight of the Seiren was easily explained away, merely owning up to the fact it was supposed to be a secret test flight. He made sure to act very nonchalant about it, to give the feeling that he had far more dangerous weapons being tested under secret, which he certainly did. The pilot was said to be a former spy, who turned himself into Lelouch, whose identity would be kept secret to protect him from retribution from those who sent him. That successfully ruined many attempts to spy on him in the coming months, the leaders not trusting their spies, and the spies not trusting others who were sent alongside them.

Then there was the completion of both the Konjiku and the Junpaku, the two Knightmares that completed his set of commander frames. There was also the completion of ten mass-production airships, the Azuchi, and Rakshata's mass production Knightmare frames the Akatsuki. And to top all of that off, the Apotheosis was completed, the key to Lelouch's victory against Britannia.

And as one additional note, he had Knighted Anya Alstreim, mostly to shut up the nobility after Suzaku failed to protect Euphemia, to prove Lelouch wasn't biased towards the Japanese, not that Anya was not a capable knight herself.

When news of his political marriage became public…a collective 'no!' was heard throughout Japan. Lelouch was standing in the garden of the rooftop palace of the Britannian Headquarters, having said his goodbyes to his friends and Nunnally. He was talking to C.C. before he left, "So you want me to protect her and take over the more hidden operations while you're gone?" C.C. asked before Lelouch even opened his mouth.

"Yes, exactly," Lelouch said, "When the time comes I expect V.V. to send Geass users here to try and take her. Only you can stop that from happening."

"Indeed, good luck Lelouch. Your plan is a dangerous one," C.C. said, "Apotheosis, it's powerful, maybe too powerful, if it were to be captured, things could go very bad for you."

"I know that," Lelouch said with a smirk, "That's why one of the Druid Systems is entirely dedicated to the system's security system and it won't operate without it. I'm not taking chances with it. It's also why I designed it to look the way it does. Nobody could possibly imagine just how powerful it really is."

"I wouldn't have if I didn't see that plan. I can't believe Rakshata got it working," C.C. commented, "That thing, I wouldn't say it's even close to being it yet, but I would say it's becoming another Sword of Akasha." Lelouch smirked as he turned around, and began walking up a ramp into the Command Module of the Azuchi, dubbed the Biwa. "And stop being such a Lolicon," C.C. called out as she turned around to walk back inside the headquarters.

Lelouch continued walking for about a minute before he realized he was called a Lolicon again, and worse yet, he was getting used to it. Sighing he walked up to the bridge, and took his seat in the throne at the back of it. "All preparations ready?" Lelouch asked, a smirk on his face, he looked like he was ready to wage war.

"Yes, the Azuchi parts have been hidden inside the hot-air balloons after they were inspected by Schneizel's men," Anya reported, wearing ceremonial Knights clothing.

"The Ieyasu and the Hideyoshi are already in the air, and are with the Avalon. They're waiting for us now," Karen reported, in a similar outfit, but looking just a bit more grand and dignified, distinguishing her as the first Knight.

"The Mordred and Guren Kashoushiki both loaded up alongside Apotheosis?" Lelouch asked.

"Indeed they are your highness," Rakshata's voice came from below them on a couch that had been installed onto the bridge of the Biwa, "Konjiku, Seiren, and Junpaku are being left here in Japan as per your command."

"Anything else I need to know of?" Lelouch asked the bridge.

"Not a thing your majesty," Jeremiah Gottwald responded, having successfully undergone the Code-R project's test, the only thing he had to show for it, at least outwardly, was a strange orange half eye mask.

"Excellent, then we mustn't keep my dear brother waiting any longer. Nor should we keep the world waiting. Stage Three, it begins now," Lelouch said, an almost evil smirk on his face as he then outstretched his hand, "Biwa, take off."

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter. Oh yeah, I totally cheated this chapter. But really, all that stuff wouldn't have been that interesting. Now then, onto those questions…

1) Which path do you think Nina's nuclear technology will take in this fic? Do you think she'll create the Freya or a nuclear energy reactor?

You know, that's all I have for this chapter. Nothing too exciting this chapter, but it's the end of Stage 2, lasted a good 15 chapters it did. Stage 3 is where things are going to start to heat up, look forward to it.

Well then, press that review button before Nina starts talking to your excitedly.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	33. Sides

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, seriously if I did would I be writing this?

Author's notes: To answer a few anon questions, because I can't respond to them normally. On the Mordred having stealth capabilities due to having Gefjun Hadron Cannons, yes that is indeed true, it is invisible to most forms of non-visual detection like the Gawain is in cannon. On my update speed, I update when I finish the chapter, though the speed of that is usually determined by how many reviews I'm getting (the more I get the more motivated I become to finish it).

Stats: 803 reviews (33 last chapter), 71364 hits (841 last chapter), 19 c2s, 194 favs, and 190 alerts

Woot! 197 to go till 1000 reviews, and one 6 more favs and 10 more alerts to hit 200 in those.

* * *

"I don't see why you're marrying Lelouch to this little empress, wouldn't it be better to pick someone less ambitious big brother?" A red haired girl with blue eyes, her hair done up into pigtails, asked Schneizel El Britannia aboard the Avalon, sitting on the side of his throne on the bridge, "I don't trust him, he's planning something. I mean, look at that entourage he's bringing."

"Carline, he can plan nothing. He must go through with this marriage as is his duty as a prince of Britannia. He has nothing he can do to get out of this marriage," Schneizel assured his little sister, "He is only saving face by bringing as much as he is. A show of force and nothing more."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that your highness," Gino said walking on the bridge, earning a glare from Carline, "I worked alongside him for a while, if anybody could find a way to uphold his duty and weasel out of this marriage he could. He could know more about the situation than we do, I heard he sent a diplomatic envoy some time ago."

"Oh what do you know Knight of Three," Carline hissed at Gino.

"That if those ships are what I think they are, then he's doing more than a mere show of force. He's parading the most powerful weapon in the empire around," Gino said, looking at the many screens on the bridge showing the hot air balloons and the airships Lelouch had brought with him.

"The most powerful weapon in the empire is the Galahad. Gino, you should be well aware of that," Schneizel stated calmly, "Nothing compares to it."

"For now," Gino commented with a smile on his face, "I learned not to underestimate him. Sometimes he does something so crazy and so in your face that you never see it coming. Or can't even react to it if you did."

"The test of that Seiren for instance," Schneizel said, narrowing his gaze, one of the few time he had ever been made a fool of, "Then you suspect that his Azuchi is here."

"Azuchi?" Carline asked, the first she had heard the word by the look of her face, "What's that?"

"From what I read, the most powerful airship ever developed. It was supposed to have been finished recently, but I never saw it in the skies while we were in Area Eleven. And the hot air balloons were inspected. So the only possibility is that it's formed by those three airships he has with him," Schneizel answered.

"Really!?" Carline chirped and ran to get a better look at the screens showing the airships, the idea of weaponry that powerful exciting her.

Over on the Biwa, Lelouch was bored out of his mind, having to sit on the bridge while everybody else got to do something was infuriating to him. No planning, no manipulating, no strategizing, nothing that needed his attention. Just him, his throne, and a fairly long flight to China.

Down in the hanger, where the Guren, the Mordred, many Akatsuki, and the Apotheosis were being held. Karen was standing before the Apotheosis, wondering what the big deal was, "I don't get it, it's not a Knightmare, it's not much bigger than most Knightmares either, and it only has two small Hadron Cannons for weapons."

"That's the thing," Rakshata said walking into the hanger, pipe in hand, "It's not supposed to be obvious why it's here or why it's powerful. Hence it's current form, that of a fighter jet."

"It shifts forms like the Tristan?" Karen asked turning to look at Rakshata who only smiled subtly, "I suppose that makes sense, it has a lot of moving parts by the looks of things."

"You could say that," Rakshata answered while walking up next to her, "Tell me, what would you say is the difference between piloting and using a Knightmare?"

"There's a difference?"

"Oh yes, the Guren, my child is too much machine for most pilots, they can use it sure, but they can't pilot it. But you can, you can handle the Guren's power, bring it out to its full potential," Rakshata explained, "Like how our dear prince is always speaking of tactics and strategy."

"Then, are you saying I couldn't pilot this Apotheosis?" Karen said looking at it again, still having obvious doubts as to how powerful it was.

"Exactly, while you could use it just fine. Only Lelouch can pilot it, no one else would know what to do with it," Rakshata stated while looking at the Apotheosis, "Not that anybody could without his password."

"I didn't know about any of this," Karen said, under her breath, "He kept all of this from me. Why?"

"Because his Majesty would not want to burden you with unnecessary details," Jeremiah said, walking into the hanger, "It's a shame we have to put Siegfried on the top module of the Azuchi."

"What do you mean unnecessary details?" Karen demanded glaring at Jeremiah, not trusting him in the slightest.

"What would you have done if you had known about this? Did you need to know about any of this to do your duty?" Jeremiah asked Karen calmly, ignoring her glare, "Given where you were, it was safer to just leave you in the dark until the time came."

"What if he kept secrets from you?" Karen asked.

"I'd expect him to do so. I am but a servant, I may be a general now, responsible for many men and women, but that is nothing compared to what he is responsible for. The amount of information he needs is absolutely enormous compared to what we need. The stress of his job, the added stress from him doing things like this, he needs people who will trust him even while he keeps his secrets. For my part, I'll trust him and hope he leads us to glory," Jeremiah said, he turned to leave but then stopped, "You are his Knight, Karen Kouzuki. The level of trust he's placed in you is enormous, he trusts you with his life. That is something I can't say. He trusts me to lead his army, but he would never trust me with his life. Think about that."

Jeremiah left after that, satisfied with what he had said. "He's right," Rakshata said with a laugh, "A boring man, but he can be insightful every now and then. Well then, I'm going to check up on my children. Want to help?"

Karen sighed, defeated, and then said, "Sure, I need something to do."

Back on the Avalon, in a lounge near the bottom of the airship, the first prince of Britannia, Odysseus U Britannia, was quietly sitting at a table, a light brown-haired and blue-eyed unassuming man. He was looking out at the ocean underneath while sipping on a glass of wine, a stark contrast from his younger brothers. He was relaxed and easygoing unlike the audacious and cunning Lelouch, while also being traditionalistic and genuine unlike the innovative and manipulative Schneizel. While those traits didn't lend themselves to challenging either for the throne despite his position as the first in line, they made him a calm in the storm the two were producing. He was a presence that made many flock to him for his moderate and cautious nature, making him a favorite amongst the populace who hoped for a chance at peace and stability. After a moment he took out a small book from a coat pocket and opened it up, a file on Lelouch, "He's really grown up to be quite a powerful," Odysseus mused flipping through the small book, "Who would have thought that small little boy from eight years ago would turn into this ferocious dragon?"

"Good afternoon your highness," a voice said, drawing Odysseus' attention away from the book to see who it was.

"Ah, you're the new Knight of Seven, Kururugi Suzaku wasn't it?" Odysseus said, his eyes meeting Suzaku's, Odysseus motioned at the seat in front of him, "Please, sit, I could use some company."

Suzaku bowed, then said, "Of course your highness," while sitting down.

"You're from Area Eleven right? Tell me more about my little brother, will he actually go through with this?" Odysseus asked Suzaku seriously, "He's being too complacent for someone with his abilities."

"He will," Suzaku said, reassuring Odysseus, then he continued, "But…if I know him like I think I do, it'll be on his terms."

"On his terms?"

"Yes, Prince Lelouch Vi Britannia, to adapt an old saying, does not dance to someone else's drummer," Suzaku explained, "He'll turn this whole thing around and make it his accomplishment instead of Prince Schneizel's."

Odysseus took a deep breath, and then sighed it out, "I believe you're probably right. I just wish those two would get along. But with both of them wanting the throne, I doubt they ever will."

"Your highness?" Suzaku seemed to question.

"Father will name a successor, if he were to die before that I would be the next Emperor, but I hold no illusions about him naming me, nor would I particularly want to be the next Emperor," Odysseus said, "And whoever he names, the other will likely rebel."

"Neither will accept the other will they?" Suzaku asked, somewhat surprised at what he was being told.

"No. Schneizel will not accept Lelouch nor will Lelouch accept Schneizel. And the royal family will be divided between those who desire Lelouch to be the next emperor and those who desire Schneizel to be. There will even be those who will choose a side should either rebel while father is still alive," Odysseus sighed, "The Dragon Lelouch and the Hydra Schneizel."

"Dragon? Hydra?"

"Monsters, the dragon, a beast so powerful that it's seen as invincible. The hydra, a beast that you can kill parts of it, but it will always come back stronger than before," Odysseus explained, then he mused, "What will happen when invincible fights the unkillable?"

"…you highness, who would you side with?" Suzaku asked, taking a slight risk.

Odysseus smiled and said, "Whoever father picks. And you?"

"The Empire," Suzaku stated simply.

Odysseus laughed, clearly amused by Suzaku, "Good answer."

On the Chinese shore, the entire council of High Eunuchs were sitting on the landing strip, alongside the higher ranked officers of the military and a large military escort complete with Gun-ru in the back, the strange almost crab-like Knightmares of the Chinese Federation. Li Xingke waited near the front but behind the High Eunuchs, many of his subordinates and allies alongside him. Beside the Eunuchs was Lelouch's personal diplomatic team of Kaguya, Diethart, Mao, and several miscellaneous guards and minor diplomatic aides. Mao occasionally whispered something into a microphone headset he was wearing, Kaguya and Diethart wearing matching ones, alongside his normal opaque visor. Mao looked slightly haggard, like he was overworked, given how many people he was constantly mind reading one could hardly blame him. "Xingke, they're here," a brown haired and green eyed woman standing next to him said, the Avalon first appearing over the horizon, "Britannia is here."

"The Dragon of the East is here," Xingke said, clenching his fist and staring out as the Biwa, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu appeared behind the Avalon, followed by the hot air balloons, "And he is prepared to defend himself."

The Avalon was the first to land, followed by the Hideyoshi and Ieyasu, and then the Biwa. Forming an arc in front of the Eunuchs. The Avalon was the first to lower it's ramp, with solders lining up alongside it. Schneizel then walked down, flanked on either side by Odysseus and Carline. Behind them were the three Knights of Rounds he had been lent, the Knight of Three Gino Weinberg, the Knight of Seven Kururugi Suzaku, and the Knight of Ten Lucianno Bradley, an orange haired and wicked looking young man. "Is the brown-haired one the Dragon?" the woman asked.

"No it isn't Xianglin," Xingke responded quietly, "The Dragon hasn't made his appearance yet." And then the Biwa lowered its docking ramp, "There he is."

Lelouch appeared at the head of the ramp, in black and gold royal clothing, with the symbol of Geass on the back of his high collared coat. Flanked on either side of him were his Knights in their ceremonial uniforms, to his right was Karen and to his left was Anya. Lelouch began walking down the platform, followed by his Knights. "…He feels like that man," Xianglin commented, "That Kain…they have that same air of absolute power to them."

"…Geass…Kain never elaborated what it was, exactly," Xingke said under his breath, looking at Lelouch closely, "He just showed it to us, how it drained us of hope."

"Then you think so to, that the Dragon has that power as well?" Xianglin asked her superior.

"Yes, without a shadow of a doubt, Lelouch Vi Britannia also possessed that power, he could very well be a true dragon," Xingke answered as the Eunuchs greeted their guests with much fanfare, "Our plan may be in trouble. Three Rounds, and a real Dragon."

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter. Oh my, looks like Xingke (and yes, he's being speaking figuratively) is planning on going through with his coup, and he's enlisted the aid of Kain and the Remnants of the Black Knights to do it to. Well, without further ado, time for the questions…

1) Well I answered some other people's questions about the other members of the Royal Family with this chapter. So here's the question, out of the other Royal Family members we know about, who do you think they would side with when it comes down to it? Lelouch or Schneizel?

2) People kept underestimating Schneizel just because I was only showing what Lelouch knows (and a little bit of what Schneizel knows) so I decided to spend a bit of this chapter explaining his character, namely giving him a different nickname among a few other subtle things. With that in mind, who do you think will be the final villain of this fic?

3) The Apotheosis as finally revealed this chapter, and it really doesn't look like much like I've said. Yet Rakshata is very proud of it. Last time I'm going to ask what you think it does, because it's going to be seeing some action in the coming chapters. So why do you think Rakshata is proud of it?

And that's all, now press that review button before Carline decides to bug you.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	34. Resemblance

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass, if I did I'd have Jeremiah juggle oranges at some point.

Stats: 840 reviews (37 last chapter), 73999 hits (816 last chapter) 19 c2s, 194 favs, and 195 alerts

Well, that's a cool number of hits to stop on.

* * *

"And now for the grand finale for our little exchange of military information," Lelouch said in front of a large crowd on the outskirts of the forbidden city, at the end of a weapons show, between Britannia and the Chinese Federation, "Allow me to introduce the latest weapon I have developed. Command Vessel S-O-A zero one. Apotheosis. Piloted by the general for Area Eleven, Jeremiah Gottwald."

"Apotheosis?" Schneizel asked under his breath, absolutely surprised that Lelouch had something else up his sleeve that he didn't know about.

From one end of the stadium it appeared and flew threw the stadium at high speed, "Faster than any Knightmare, and with greater defensive capabilities than any Knightmare," Lelouch said, the Guren and the Mordred flying into the Stadium, and both opened fire with their small munitions on the Apotheosis. "Self-Propelled Automatic MSV Shielding," Lelouch continued as diamond like parts flew off the Apotheosis and immediately blocked the attacks, "Automatically operated by the advanced Druid System. Calculating for all variables from speed and distance of incoming projectiles and attacks to wind speed, resistance and the velocity of the Apotheosis itself. This however does not mean that is all they can do, their primary purpose is to defend the troops under its command. One Apotheosis alongside a team of normal Knightmare would allow it to form an invincible squadron capable of defending or attacking any position. Or if deployed on a more grand scale battle, would allow it to defend multiple points and assist in the attacking of multiple points all over the battlefield," Then both the Guren and Mordred lined up and readied their main weapons, "And then there is one final feature. Now let me remind you that the Mordred is equipped with the Stark Hadron Cannon and the Guren Kashoshiki is equipped with the Radiation Wave Beam. Both weapons known to completely ignore MSV shielding and Knightmare Armor." Both the Mordred and the Guren opened fire on the Apotheosis, when they stopped after ten seconds of continuous fire, the beams clearing the stadium and everybody's eyes readjusting…The Apotheosis was still floating there, completely untouched by both attacks, "The Apotheosis makes use of highly advanced and experimental technology that renders it immune to both weapons. To say that it possesses fortress class defenses would be a gross understatement. For weaponry it has a pair of forward mounted Hadron Cannons. This certainly does not make it the most powerful offensive weapon, but it isn't a tactical weapon like the majority of those that have been demonstrated today. The Apotheosis is the world's first true mobile and easily deployable Strategic Weapon. Now unless our dear hosts have something else they would like to share I think this is probably the end of the weapon's show today."

Schneizel watched his little brother, and noticed something as he made his way back towards his chair to wait for the High Eunuchs to give their grand closing speech. There was a smirk on his face, like there was something he didn't say, something else the Apotheosis could do that wasn't revealed yet. While it was true, Lelouch's Apotheosis could very likely change the entire course of battle with its deployment, a mobile defense platform capable of deploying its defenses for itself and others was certainly something. And one that could easily make it's way across the battlefield certainly made it all the more powerful. But there was something else about it. The shape was unusual, and it had far too many movable parts, it could do something else that Lelouch wasn't saying anything about. "What are you planning?" Schneizel asked under his breath again, looking at Lelouch closely.

Elsewhere, watching a live feed of the weapons testing, was Kain and the Remnants of the Black Knights. "So the Gawain is of no use," Kain said, annoyance in his voice, "Even after you boys got it working too."

"That has the Gefjun Technology written all over it," an Indian Scientist said looking at the footage of the Apotheosis getting hit by the two beam weapons, "Nothing else could explain how it so easily shrugged off what should have destroyed it. Rakshata is working for him, but why would she work for a Prince of Britannia?"

"Does it matter?" Ogi asked, his Geass in his eyes shining brightly, like he couldn't turn it off, "What about that Frame you're finishing, the Shen-Hu?"

"Its main weapon is affected by the Gefjun Disturber as well. But not enough that it can't do damage. It's the only weapon that could hurt that monster,"

"Use a monster to kill a monster," Kain chuckled, amused to what they would have to do, "Only that Xingke can pilot our monster though. That thing's too much of a beast for me to handle." Ogi remained quiet, Kain not being one who likes being ignored spoke up, "Yo Ogi, you ain't having second thoughts are you?"

"Wha…" Ogi said, his attention back on Kain, "No..no of course not."

"Good, because it's going to be me and you again in the Gawain, you counter the effects my Geass has on our people and I'll demoralize their people like always. We'll win this time, there are three princes of Britannia here and one princess of Britannia. We take them out and Japan will be yours again," Kain said with a dark smirk, "It won't be long."

Elsewhere, back aboard the Biwa, Lelouch was examining his Apotheosis in the hanger, even though he was confident in it's armor, he wasn't going to leave things to chances when he started piloting it. "So you're here," Anya said, walking into the hanger, "The banquet has started."

"They can wait for me, not like it's going to end anytime soon," Lelouch answered her, walking up a ladder to look into the cockpit, he smirked as he examined a pull down device that would fit over the left eye of the pilot, "Besides, the important stuff won't happen till tomorrow."

"Risky," Anya commented, making Lelouch just laugh at how she said it, a hint of concern.

"Very much so, but it's the only chance I'll get. I just have to rely on that idiot to make his move at the last possible moment, and when he makes his move, I'll be ready for it," Lelouch said, with a look on his face that said he had already won.

Lelouch started to walk down the ladder when another voice spoke up and surprised him, "Stop flirting with your knights and get to the banquet Lelouch!" Carline ordered storming into view of the hanger's entrance, causing Lelouch to lose his balance, "Ah! Lelouch watch your…"

Anya moved in quickly, getting behind Lelouch and putting her arms up to brace him to try and keep him from falling. It wasn't particularly successful given Lelouch was twice Anya's size and probably weight with his royal clothing on, they both ended up falling down. Lelouch righting himself at the last moment to catch himself on his hands. Ending with both of them in a rather embarrassing position, Lelouch on top and Anya on the floor beneath him. Lelouch quickly pushed himself back on his feet, a slight blush on his face, obviously from embarrassment, the exact reason he was embarrassed was anybodies guess. "Thanks for trying to catch me," Lelouch said quickly.

"Damn it Lelouch!" Carline snapped, "You planned that didn't you?" she accused, glaring at Anya before walking off.

"What's her problem?" Lelouch asked while Anya got up off the floor.

Anya started walking off herself and then she stopped and asked, "Do you want to know?"

"Yes," Lelouch answered without a moment's hesitation.

Anya sighed and began to exit, "Lolicon," she said before turning the corner.

Lelouch was silent for a moment and then screamed, "Damn you Gino!"

At the banquet hall in the Forbidden City, Gino Weinberg suddenly got a chill up his spine, "Whoa, freaky, I just felt a murderous impulse directed at me."

"Oh sorry," Luciano commented half-heartedly, sitting at a table and eating a rather large serving of lamb meat, "That must have been me."

Gino snorted and said, "I'm used to your murderous impulses," Gino said, "This was something new. And can't you show proper manners and wait for Prince Lelouch to show up?"

"Everything has started already, hardly any reason for me to wait," Luciano stated, "So what if he's the Fabulous Tactician, or whatever the hell he's called. He's still a brat whose balls haven't dropped yet."

At the head table, in one of the grand seats, sat Tianzi, nervously waiting, "You shouldn't be so nervous," Kaguya said, sitting next to the young girl, "He's a good man."

"…I, I know, I've heard, a lot about him. But…" Tianzi said, shaking in her seat.

"The fact that he's always referred to as a dragon?" Kaguya asked, which Tianzi nodded in response.

"Now presenting!" a man announced at the front of the hall, Tianzi holding her breath to stop herself from shaking as he did so, "His esteemed highness, the Subtle Strategist, Second Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, Prince Schneizel El Britannia!"

Tianzi let her breath out, slightly relieved it wasn't Lelouch. At the head of the hall, Schneizel slowly walked up with a young woman by his side in a flowery dress, a recent acquisition to his research and development teams, and someone he stole right out from under Lelouch's nose, Nina Einstein. Their entry was marked by much gossip and talk as the three Knights of the Round marched up and knelt before Schneizel. "We are at your command your majesty," Gino said before they raised to their feet.

Schneizel took a look around and commented, "Lelouch isn't here yet."

"Probably a slight against you, your highness," Luciano commented, a hand on his hip, "He's obviously not happy about being used."

"Or he just refuses to be out done," Gino said, looking past Schneizel towards the entrance as the announcer prepared to speak again, "He is called the Glorious Strategist."

"Now presenting!" the man announced to the crowd, "His esteemed highness! The Glorious Strategist of Britannia! The Eleventh Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire! Lelouch Vi Britannia!"

Walking up the steps into the main hall, Lelouch was dressed in his traditional black and gold colors, a high collared coat that was left open to show a fancy black silk shirt under it with the symbol of Geass on the upper portion of it, the Britannian emblem over his heart and under the wing of the Geass symbol. His boots making an audible sound against the steps as he walked up them. Flanked on either side were his Knights, in a black and silver version of the ceremonial knight clothing. If Schneizel's entrance was one that spoke of his subtle elegance and refinement, Lelouch's entrance was one that spoke of his glorious power and ambition. Schneizel's eyes widened for a moment and he unintentionally let out under his breath, "Father?" then shook his head, "The resemblance is uncanny."

Suzaku's eyes narrowed when he looked at Lelouch, he recognized the symbol on his shirt, Lelouch was advertising that he had some sort of power to anybody who would recognize the symbol. While the other knights didn't notice it, Suzaku had noticed Schneizel's statement. Looking at Lelouch, Suzaku couldn't help but agree, the look in his eyes, that look of superiority and power, was the same look Charles Di Britannia had. There was no doubt in Suzaku's mind, he was looking at the one who would be named the Crown Prince of the Empire. Lelouch would turn this whole marriage to his advantage and make Schneizel look like a fool, and the Emperor would recognize him for it and name him his heir. And if Odysseus was right, Schneizel would never accept it, and would plan a coup to overthrow his brother, potentially splitting the empire in two. "Magnificent, isn't he Schneizel?" Odysseus asked walking up to his little brother, a glass of wine in hand, "It really is hard to imagine that he's the same boy who cried whenever he skinned his knee."

Schneizel didn't respond at first, and then said, "Yes, yes it is."

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter, yep right when it's starting to get good too. A bit shorter than usual, but I didn't want to cut things off at the next good stopping point, because while I like my evil cliffhangers, that would just be cruel of me. You know, I get the feeling I'm going to enjoy writing Luciano. Well then, onto those questions of mine…

1) Do you think Suzaku's right, That Lelouch is going to be named the Crown Prince after this arc?

2) Here's a good question for you all, how do you think all the major characters of this arc feel about Lelouch? You don't need to answer all of them, just the ones you feel like.

And that's all, now press that review button before Carline causes you to get in an embarrassing situation.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	35. Azuchi! Gattai!

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, if I did I'd have made Luciano twice as rude

Stats: 877 reviews (34 last chapter), 76907 hits (824 last chapter), 19 c2s, 197 favs, and 200 alerts.

Woot! Everytime I update this fic I'm bugging 200 people!

* * *

"So his royal lateness finally decides to grace us with his presence," Luciano spat out, glaring at Lelouch walking up to him, a challenge.

"Oh? You must be the Vampire of Britannia…funny, I pictured you as a pale skinned child who wrote poetry," Lelouch responded, only bothering to look at Luciano from the corner of his left eye.

"The only poetry I write is in blood," Luciano said, glaring straight into the eleventh prince's eyes, forcing him to look at him.

Lelouch stared right back with a look of disinterest, and replied with a subtle smile, "That would explain the scars."

Luciano was taken back, if only for a moment, he proceeded to make a move to grab Lelouch by the shirt, until Karen stepped in and grabbed him by the wrist, "Oy, talk all you like, but assaulting a member of the royal family is a serious felony, even for a Rounds."

"Tch, I don't trust you boy," Luciano said shaking his wrist from Karen's grip, pointing a finger at him, "Be glad you're a prince."

"Oh dear, whatever would I do if I wasn't against such a big strong man like you?" Lelouch mocked, and then with a glare he said, "You may be older, but all that makes you is an immature impotent idiot." Lelouch walked past the seething Knight of Ten, and then he added with a smirk, "Take either meaning you'd like."

Odysseus came walking up, a smile on his face as he raised his wine glass to Lelouch, "Good to see you again little brother, I must say you surprised me when you entered, you've become the spitting image of father."

Lelouch smiled and said, "I'm not sure whether to take that as a compliment or as an insult. You're doing well as always Odysseus."

At the head of the hall, Tianzi was in her chair shaking again, looking down into her lap now. "You don't need to be afraid of him," Kaguya consoled, trying to calm Tianzi.

"I…I know. I know, but…I can't help it, he's…terrifying, more so than that orange-caped knight. Just standing there, smiling, he's more terrifying than anyone I have ever seen," Tianzi said, barely managing to sit still instead of trying to run away.

"Its okay, you've just never met him before, you're only heard about his accomplishments so of course you'd be scared," Kaguya continued to try and console her.

"Good evening Empress Tianzi, it is an honor to meet you," Lelouch said, standing in front of the main table and bowing to her, however that wasn't what got her attention. It was the fact he was speaking fluently in Chinese while he did so. Raising his head, he had let his eyes take on a more normal appearance instead of their usual intensity, and he was smiling, "I am Lelouch Vi Britannia."

"Ah, uh…it, it is good, to meet you…" Tianzi said, speaking in shaky English, barely managing to look at him half the time she was speaking.

Lelouch chuckled and said, still speaking in Chinese, "Understood, I'll give you some more time." Before he left he stepped a bit closer to whisper something to her so only she would hear him, "You are not the only one forced into this situation, I'm working on a way to postpone it until I can find a way out of it. I suspect you'd like that as well." And with that he turned and went back to mingle with the crowd, Tianzi now watching him, surprised at what he said.

Kaguya leaned in and said, "I have a feeling I know what he just said. It's the truth, we're working on a way out of this now."

Tianzi looked at Kaguya, who was smiling at her, "You, you mean that's why you came?" the small empress asked.

"To help? Yes that's why, just trust him alright?" Kaguya said, as one of the Eunuchs leaned in.

"Now what are you two talking about?" he asked, which Kaguya only looked at him slyly.

"None of your business, its girl talk," Kaguya responded.

Elsewhere, in a hidden portion of the Forbidden City, Xingke was sitting at a table with many high-ranking military officers, and then there was Kain. "So what are the chances of capturing Britannia's airships?" one of the officers asked.

"Not likely," Kain responded, "Not that we'd know how to use them if we did. Furthermore we'd only get one before they noticed and shot it down. Britannia won't hesitate to give it up if it becomes a liability. Hostages don't work against them. Let alone Lelouch Vi Britannia, our main obstacle. Use a hostage against him, and he'll find a way to rescue them and do it from under your nose, probably while stealing your weapons while he's at it. Furthermore, they'll withdraw from the conflict after they get to safety, leaving us with only the Eunuchs and those loyal to them to fight."

"Very good, between your Gawain and the Shen-hu, the Eunuchs won't last long," Xingke said, a smile on his face, "If we work quickly they won't even have a chance to react before we take control of China and rescue Tianzi-hou."

"Indeed, if we act quickly enough. The Eunuchs will likely request assistance immediately following the appearance of the Gawain and Shen-hu. Meaning we will be staring down the Lancelot, Tristan, and Percival at least," Kain said, "All three are impressive frames that would be difficult to beat. I won't say we'll provoke the Dragon right away with this attack."

"Why not?" Xianglin asked, "If the Rounds join the fight won't he do so as well?"

"Not necessarily. The Rounds are under Prince Schneizel's command, not Prince Lelouch's. A strong rivalry exists between the two, Lelouch will not likely be willing to assist his brother unless it benefits him to do so. Meaning we won't have to worry about the Mordred, Guren, and that Apotheosis of his in the immediate future. However, we have to immediately rescue Tianzi the moment the rebellion starts," Kain explained, a smirk on his face the entire time, "He will be obligated to do what he can to remove her from the battle. If he successfully does so, we will have to win quickly or the chances of us losing this coup are almost certain. That Biwa, the Hideyoshi and Ieyasu. And then his advanced Knightmare Frames. If he removes Tianzi from the battle, we will have all but lost if we don't act quickly. Because of those three ships and those three units join the battle, there is nothing we can do to win."

Xingke spoke up first, "I'll rescue her, when would be the best time?"

"As the wedding starts, everybody will be concentrating on that single place. We will know where she is at the point in time. Plus it's more dramatic," Kain said with a laugh, "If we're going to do a coup, might as well make a show of it."

And make a show of it they did, the next day the coup had begun in full, "Neither the stars of heaven nor the people of the earth approve of this marriage!" Xingke declared, leading a small contingent of troops into the wedding hall where the Eunuchs and Schneizel had managed to force their respective 'sacrifices' to marry each other. "China will not accept this!"

"Xingke, what do you think you're…" one of the Eunuchs said as he began to tear through the guards to make his way to Tianzi, the Knights of the Round rushing to protect Schneizel as Carline and Odysseus got behind them. Lelouch was immediately guarded by Karen, however both were standing next to Tianzi, and Anya was nowhere in sight.

And that was when Lelouch interrupted the show, clapping his hands as a wave of despair washed over the chapel while confidence welled over Xingke and his men, Lelouch seemed unaffected by any of it. "Karen, now," he said as Karen flipped a switch that was on her ceremonial sword, then Lelouch spoke up, an intensity in his eyes unlike what he had demonstrated last night, "I was wondering when you'd make your move."

Xingke's stopped as a Knightmare dropped through the ceiling, the Mordred, carrying a large container, which opened up to reveal the Guren was inside. "You…you saw this coming," Xingke said, surprised as he dispatched another soldier loyal to the Eunuchs.

"Of course I did," Lelouch said as he placed his hand on Tianzi's shoulder, pulling her back into the container, and then mouthed, "I await your victory." With that, the Guren took off and the Container closed with the Mordred lifting it up into the air. Inside the Container Lelouch sighed, "That was close, I was worried he wouldn't make his move for a moment there."

"What?" Tianzi said staring up at the man, "You…you mean you, were expecting Xingke to rebel?"

"Counting on it in fact," Lelouch said, a smile on his face, "I hope he wins too. That'll get me out of this situation perfectly. Sorry about this, I'm obligated to 'rescue' you from that situation." After a second Lelouch smirked, "Oh I look forward to what I'm about to get to say."

Tianzi looked up at him, seeing the look of extreme anticipation on his face, "Say what?"

"You'll see," Lelouch said, almost giddy, "Oh I've been waiting to say this for months. Ever since I saw the designs."

A sudden lurch told the two they had stopped, the container opened and Jeremiah was kneeling in front of it, "Preparations are complete your highness."

"Excellent," Lelouch said, turning to Tianzi he said, "Please tell Anya what you'd like to do, you can either watch what's going on or you can retire to a guest room. Oh, and welcome to the Biwa…no I should say, the Azuchi." With that Lelouch turned and made his to the bridge of the Biwa. Entering the Bridge he smirked as he said, "Ise! Omi! Tenshukaku! Donjon! Shed your disguise!" Outside, high in the air, four of the hot air balloons Lelouch had brought with him exploded into confetti revealing triangular airships within them. Each one had a flat bottom and had several cannons along their tops. All four of them moved into position around the Biwa, one below, one above, one to the right, and one to the left. Lelouch smirked, his eyes narrowing as Tianzi entered the bridge, led by Anya, Karen entered the Bridge soon afterwards. Lelouch then declared, "Azuchi! Gattai!"

Outside the ships around the Biwa began to shift position, turning their flat sides towards the Biwa. Schneizel, Carline, Odysseus, and the Rounds had just made it to the Bridge of the Avalon as Lelouch ordered the fusion of the Azuchi, "Dear god…those are the pieces of the Azuchi…" Schneizel said, stopping when he saw just how much more massive the Azuchi would be.

"I was told four pieces," Gino said, just as surprised as Schneizel at what was unfolding, "That's five pieces to it."

On the ground, the Eunuchs had managed to escape the coup and made their way to a mobile command fortress. Xingke was getting into the Shen-hu, a giant bluish purple knightmare that was similar in design to a fusion of the Guren and the Lancelot. Looking up into the sky, he stopped, "…What is that?" he asked.

The Biwa was the first to shift its form, the front end of it opening up into four distinct pieces. Each piece slowly positioning itself to face one of the other components of the Azuchi, extending from the body of the Biwa, and each was met by a piece of the other ships extending and formed a docking bay for the pieces from the Biwa. From the now revealed portion of the Biwa, and enormous cannon could now be seen, extending from it as portions of the other ships shifted out as well. "Azuchi fusion complete!" Jeremiah announced as his left eye spiraled about, Lelouch smirking as the screens showing the status of the Biwa switched to showing the status of the Azuchi. The shape of the Azuchi made from the front was that of a diamond, from the side it looked like a clawed hand with the back portion of the Biwa sticking out further than the other pieces of the Azuchi.

On the Avalon, Schneizel was in shock, "…massive," was all he was able to say looking at it. And it was, in it's completed state, it was three times as large as the Avalon.

"Incredible!" Carline squealed looking at it, "Look at that thing in the middle! It must be a great big Hadron Cannon!"

"Lelouch, this weapon…you had something like this built, what were you planning to do with something like this?" Odysseus said, stunned into a stupor.

On the ground, Kain was looking up at the Azuchi, getting into the completed Gawain with Ogi, "My god, how did he sneak that into this country?" he asked himself.

"This is Xingke!" a voice blared over the Gawain's radio systems, "How the hell are we supposed to take that on!?"

"Relax," Kain ordered, the Hideyoshi and Ieyasu forming up on the Azuchi's flanks, "He's protecting himself right now. If we're quick we will win this coup." Kain then grimaced as he said to Ogi, "You felt it too, didn't you? Our Geass suddenly turned off."

"Yeah…even mine, its back now, but…what happened there?" Ogi asked Kain, "My Geass is permanent now, yet it suddenly stopped working."

"I'm betting our dear little prince has found a way to turn Geass off somehow. This changes the strategy a bit," Kain said, "A Geass Disturber."

In the Britannian Mainland, Charles Di Britannia was watching a broadcast of the whole fiasco in China, a large smile on his face, his eyes wide open while he watched the Azuchi form, "Well done, my son, well done," he laughed out, clapping his hands, "That is the strength of Britannia. Not the piddling effort Schneizel put forward with the Avalon. That, that ship is a representation of our strength."

"I see you've gained an interest in him as well Charles," V.V. said walking out from a hidden corner.

"I've always been interested in him, he truly is worthy of being called my son. With so little, he has gained so much," Charles said, amusement in his voice, "He hid the ship from Schneizel and the Chinese well, and hid the fact it had a fifth piece even better from us. And then that weapon, the one that looks like the main weapon, its power is likely beyond everything we've seen yet….and then there is that little jet of his. S.O.A. Zero One, Apotheosis."

"The Sword of Akasha Version One," V.V. expanded the title, "Apotheosis…what are the chances it does just that?"

"A mechanism for Apotheosis?" Charles asked with a grin, "With him, almost one hundred percent. It is likely a fusion machine, designed to upgrade a Knightmare mid-battle. Seiren, Guren, Mordred, Konjiku, and Junpaku. Five suits it's likely designed to upgrade mid-battle. And it's not the last attempt, he's making it into another Sword of Akasha. We'll see one of the fusions if he joins the fray, this is his bid so he probably will join it. He's selling himself to me, proving to me he deserves to be my successor."

"I say you make him just that," V.V. commented, a small smile on his face, "You could do a lot worse. And it's good to have a backup just in case."

"I may do just that elder brother. But first, lets see what my other son does in this situation, now that he no longer has all the cards," Charles answered, "I want to see who will come out on top. And who to discard."

"Every bit the magnificent serpent, Jormungandr of Britannia?" V.V. teased Charles.

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter. Yeah I cheated a little bit this chapter. Well then, I've revealed the Azuchi and I've revealed what the Apotheosis really does…and I'm still surprised no one guessed it (I had so many close guesses though). Well then, now onto those questions…

1) What do you think of the Azuchi now that what it looks like has been revealed?

2) The military of the Chinese Federation is split into two here (unlike cannon) which means this is a large scale coup. Do you think Xingke will succeed or do you think the Eunuchs will go running to Schneizel first?

3) Charles is as all knowing as ever, I got a lot of answers for Schneizel being the final villain last time, and now that I revealed Charles does indeed have a nickname as well. So I want to see if anybody changed their mind, who do you think will be the final villain now?

And that's all, now press that review button before Xingke spouts off a heroic speech in your direction.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a message from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	36. Reason to Act

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, if I did we'd have more Percival awesomeness

Stats: 914 reviews (37 last chapter), 83328 hits (1315 last chapter), 19 c2s, 202 favs, and 205 alerts

* * *

Lelouch sat down in the throne of the Azuchi and watched as the coup began in full swing below them, "I wonder who will win?" Lelouch mused.

"Your majesty, we're receiving a communication from the Chinese Federation, shall I put it on?" Jeremiah asked looking at Lelouch from the corner of his eye.

"Make it so," Lelouch said as the High Eunuch's image appeared on the main monitor of the Azuchi, "What can I do for you?"

"We'd like to request your assistance," the leader amongst them said simply.

"Why? I have no reason to step into this," Lelouch responded, being very nonchalant about it.

"What? But you're…" the smallest amongst the Eunuchs began to object when he was silenced.

"Your highness, this would be beneficial to Britannia if you were to ensure our victory, with your power it would be a simple matter, wouldn't it?" the lead Eunuch suggested.

Lelouch smirked, they were right where he wanted them, "Tell me, why have you betrayed your nation exactly? It can't only be for noble titles in Britannia can it?"

"Do we need another reason?" the largest of them asked, "Britannia will be the winner if a war were to break out, and it will surely break out eventually. We decided it would be beneficial to join of our own free will."

Lelouch nodded his head, "No, surely that is a good reason. But what of your people?"

"Hohohoho, the Dragon is an idealist, who would have ever thought?" the leader said, amusement on his face, "Do you care of the ants beneath your feat or your used toilet paper?"

"Surely not, but that's hardly an appropriate to call your own people that. Tell me, are you familiar with my favorite game?" Lelouch asked, making it seem like he was making light conversation, "If so, what do you think is the strongest piece?"

"The queen naturally," the Eunuchs responded in perfect unison, Lelouch laughing at their single-mindedness, "What's so…"

"You can seek help elsewhere," Lelouch said with a smirk, "My only obligation was to secure to safety of Tianzi. Nothing more, nothing less. I have no reason to interfere further. Jeremiah, cut communications."

"Lelouch, you're trying to make them run to Schneizel aren't you?" Karen asked, looking at her Prince.

"I'm doing no such thing. I have no reason to interfere now, I naturally hope Xingke wins this because that means I'm off the hook, but I can't interfere without betraying the empire. Not without a very good reason at least," Lelouch stated, a smirk on his face, anybody who knew him knew he was trying to make them run to Schneizel. He saw the Lancelot and Tristan launch from the Avalon, "Oh, that was quick," Lelouch said as a wave of despair washed over the Azuchi, "Jeremiah, activate it."

"Yes your highness," Jeremiah responded immediately as the despair vanished, "Internal Geass Disturber activated and holding steady."

"Xingke…" Tianzi said watching the fight begin in full, the Lancelot facing off against the Gawain and the Tristan facing off against the Shen-hu.

Lelouch got up from his throne and said to Tianzi, "The way I see it, you've got a few options. Sit back and let the Eunuchs win this with my brother's help. Convince Schneizel to pull back. Convince me to help the Eunuchs. Convince me to help Xingke and his rebellion. And then you could always try to kill me, but I doubt you'd get very far with that." Lelouch began walking off the bridge when he said, "I'll be in the Apotheosis, do tell me when you've made a decision. Though I have a feeling I know which you'll pick."

"What…I'd have to go through with this…regardless, then you…" Tianzi said, shivering again.

"Unlike my brother, I would be very willing to greatly postpone it, no in fact I'd insist on it if this political marriage was on my terms," Lelouch stated with a chuckle, "Say ten years or, well I suppose a good time would be when I become Emperor of Britannia. We could seriously talk about the issue then. Whether or not to go through with it that is. In the meantime an engagement would give me every reason and right to help and use China." Lelouch walked off the bridge then and made his way down to the back hanger, climbed up into, and sat down in the Apotheosis' cockpit. Patiently waiting for the inevitable choice.

"Hello, my son," a voice suddenly said over the radio of the Apotheosis.

Lelouch immediately glared and then said, "Hello father, I'm surprised you knew where to get in contact with me."

"Your plans are complex, designed to glorify yourself. And thus they are lucid, I have seen through it quite clearly. I'm only unaware of what other weapons you possess," Charles said, the transmission coming from his throne room in Britannia, the man leaning back in his throne while speaking.

"Everything you say?" Lelouch asked.

"Indeed, everything. Absolute Obedience, the immortal witch C.C., the Azuchi, the Sword of Akasha Version One, the Black Knights, the other Geass users you have gained, and even the other immortal you gained. I'm well aware of all of it," Charles said, Lelouch's eyes going a little wider at each and every mention, "Your plan to get the Tianzi to enter into a prolonged engagement, your plan to make the coup a success, turn it into a civil war with you as the new ruler afterwards. The coup you plan in case you are not named my heir. You have done quite well, my Fenrir."

"Fenrir? The wolf who is part of Ragnarok," Lelouch said.

"Indeed. An apt name for you…continue as you are, win this confrontation and I'll name you the crown prince as you wish, if you fail Schneizel will be named the crown prince," Charles said, clearly amused by the sounds Lelouch was now making, "I knew, from the day I saw those eyes seven years ago, that you would be Fenrir. Don't let me down."

And with that the Emperor cut the communication. Lelouch was frowning, "How…I've covered my tracks. How did he find out? No one knew enough for that much information to reach him."

In the Britannian mainland, in the throne room, Charles had just turned off the communication with his son, "You majesty," the voice of the strongest knight of the empire, Bismarck Waldstein, a one-eyed, dark skinned man with semi-long hair. By his side was a smaller meeker looking man, expressing doubt in his voice he continued, "You have picked your heir? Your heir shall be Lelouch?"

"Knight of One," Charles said slowly, looking at the man before him, "What do you think would happen if I do not? This empire would be split into two. The young and virile Lelouch is almost universally viewed as the superior of the two choices. It is the reason Schneizel has been so desperate to enact this plan of his, to curb Lelouch's ability to claim the Throne. Schneizel will claim half the world for Britannia. Lelouch will claim it all. Britannia will be stronger with him as the Emperor, the ferocity of the Dragon is more powerful than the determination of the Hydra." The Emperor got up and began walking towards a large door behind him, he then stopped as the sound of a gunshot filled the room. Turned around, blood running down his lip as he clutched his chest, blood pouring out, he had been shot through the heart, "Waldstein…you…"

Bismarck Waldstein, the Knight of One, had just shot Charles. He tossed his gun to the meeker man by his side, "Catch," he said as he brought out a second gun, "It is your gun and it's still loaded." The meeker soldier gaped wide-eyed as he looked at Waldstein then quickly brought the gun up and tried to fire on him, finding the gun was empty, "Oops, I must have emptied it," Waldstein said and then shot the man through his head with a second gun he had, instantly killing him, "Goodbye my liege, I shall ensure the Empire survives without you." With that Charles fell to the floor, dead. Soldier began pouring into the room afterwards, Waldstein looked at them and then switched his gun to holding it by the barrel, "The Emperor has been assassinated, I have taken care of the assassin. It is my failing in that I did not predict this would happen."

The soldiers took his gun while others examined the scene, "Don't worry Lord Waldstein, will make sure to prove your innocence, why did he…"

"He was an assassin sent by Lelouch Vi Britannia. Prince Schneizel had just been declared the Crown Prince. The assassin's orders were apparently to assassinate the Emperor and anybody else in the room should such an occurrence take place," Bismarck reported, "This should be reported immediately to the Empire before it is too late."

In the Chinese Federation, aboard the Azuchi, Lelouch was still sitting in the Apotheosis and waiting for Tianzi's answer. It had been thirty minutes already and the fighting down below was getting fairly intense. Both sides of the fight had taken heavy damage, the Gawain and Shen-hu had managed to keep the Lancelot and Tristan on the defensive, no doubt thanks to the Geass users amongst the Black Knight Remnants. While he waited he was taking the time to analyze the information on the tactics being used on the ground between the two sides, and hacking into the communications of both sides. Though outgunned, Xingke's faction was doing quite well with the assistance of the Remnants, pushing the Eunuch's forces back slowly but surely. He grimaced, at this rate his own plan wouldn't go through. In fact at this rate he would be required to move in to rescue the Rounds. "Why hasn't Schneizel sent out Percival yet? In this fight the Vampire would be perfect."

"My lord, a message from the Avalon," Jeremiah said, "Shall I patch it through to the Apotheosis?"

"Do so," Lelouch said, smirking as the radio turned on again.

"Lelouch," a voice came over it, Schneizel's, "Why have you failed to join the battle?"

"I have no reason to do so, it's your show not mine," Lelouch answered, "And I was never placed under your command. My forces are here under my orders. When I have reason or necessity to do so I will intervene. In the meantime, interestingly enough, father called me just a few moments ago. The outcome of these events will determine who will be the crown prince it would see. If you succeed, you're it, if you fail and I manage to salvage this situation I will be."

"What…" Schneizel said, "So you expect me to fail…that's why you're holding back."

"Bingo, bingo, you fail and it becomes my show. But that is of course the least desirable outcome for myself," Lelouch admitted in amusement, "You're got the advantage, don't lose it now. You never know just when I'll promote that last pawn."

Aboard the Avalon, Schneizel abruptly cut the channel, glaring out at the battle, "Luciano, launch the Percival immediately. Destroy the rebel faction and protect the High Eunuchs' forces."

"Of course your highness, I wouldn't dream of doing anything like friendly fire," Luciano said with a dark chuckle, the Percival launching from the Avalon.

Aboard the Azuchi, Lelouch smirked, the Percival had launched. His provocation worked perfectly. The battle below immediately took a sharp change in flow, with the Percival's appearance Xingke's forces were now being pushed back. Lelouch leaned back in the Apotheosis' cockpit and continued his wait, things were going according to his plans. The situation was evolving as he wanted it to, now it was only a matter of, "Lelouch Vi Britannia," a small voice said from the entrance to the hanger, Lelouch looking up to see Tianzi standing there, grabbing onto the front of her dress nervously, letting go she then said, "I accept your conditions."

"A prolonged engagement?" Lelouch clarified, Tianzi nodding her head in agreement, Lelouch tuning to a new frequency, "Excellent. Diethart! You hacked into the broadcasting lines haven't you?"

"Yes your majesty," Diethart answered over the intercom, "Shall I play the conversation you had with the Eunuchs now?"

"Yes, do so. Karen, Anya, launch your Knightmares when you get down here, Jeremiah, turn the Azuchi over to Rakshata, and get into the Siegfried," Lelouch ordered as he started up the Apotheosis and lowered the eyepiece to his left eye. "Oh and before I forget, Tianzi," Lelouch said, grabbing the young empress' attention, and tossed a small radio transceiver, "Catch this, and do tell Xingke I'm joining in on his side."

On the battlefield, Xingke was barely holding off the Lancelot now, Suzaku's fierce array of attacks slowly pushing him back. "It looks like I can't keep my promise," Xingke mused as he lost an arm, finally taking damage from the Lancelot, "It looks like we've…"

"Xingke!" Tianzi's voice came over his radio, "The Dragon is on your side!"

"What?" Xingke said as the Lancelot was suddenly forced to fall back from two Hadron Beams, shields forming up around the Shen-hu, "What's going on…"

"It's simple really," Lelouch said, contacting Xingke, "I had no reason to interfere before. But now that the true ruler of China has convinced me to help her soldiers, I have every reason to participate in this battle."

Lelouch's Apotheosis floated behind Xingke, Lelouch smirking in the cockpit as Schneizel contacted him, "What do you think you're doing!?"

"Simple, my fiancé asked me to save her trusted soldiers. Considering the fact that if Xingke wins, she is the true representative of China," Lelouch said with a smirk, "And unlike the Eunuchs, I rather like Xingke. To care for the pawns of the nation as he does, and as Tianzi does. I'd rather side with them."

"I never figured you for such an idealist," Xingke said as his screens suddenly flashed two words in Chinese to him, "Bai-Hu?"

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter. You know, I completely rewrote the last part of this chapter, unusual for me. But I felt it moved a bit too fast for my tastes, and wasn't quite as dramatic. Well then, onto my questions.

1) My Chinese readers (or Chinese Speaking) are going to know why I ended the chapter on "Bai-Hu" but I want to see who else will get it. So why do you think I ended the chapter on "Bai-Hu?" And to my Chinese speaking readers, want to take a guess what it's going to do? Also, do forgive me if it's not considered two words.

2) Lelouch's plan is finally underway, but it looks like someone else is moving against him, namely Waldstein. So do you think he's a flunky of Schneizel's, a full blown villain, or a just a conscientious objector to the idea of Lelouch as Emperor?

Also, after the China Arc, I'll be taking a break from Prince or Zero, in the meantime "Spirit of the Wolf" will be taking it's place, do check it out.

And that's all, now press the review button before Waldstein objects to you as well.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	37. China Arc: Complete

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, if I did we'd have more Gattai-ing. No I care not that's not a real word.

Stats: 967 reviews ( last chapter), 88835 hits ( last chapter), 20 c2s, 213 favs, and 208 alerts

Woot! Over 100 k words now.

* * *

"Bai-Hu? The White Tiger? What is the meaning of this?" Xingke demanded over the radio towards Lelouch.

"Just follow the instructions," Lelouch replied, "Do hurry, they might realize that the shield is weak against Hadron cannons before we finish if you don't."

Elsewhere in the battle, Luciano and Gino were fighting against the Gawain, their combined efforts overwhelming the giant machine and Kain's despair Geass. "Oi, move out of the way," Karen sent over an open radio frequency as the Guren shot it's ranged radiation surge, separating the combatants.

"You traitor!" Ogi yelled over the same frequency, "How dare you show your face like nothing happened!"

"You're the traitor Kaname," Karen snapped back, getting between the Gawain and the Rounds, "You turned your back on Japan!"

"You became a Prince's Knight, you turned your back first!" Ogi yelled as the wave of despair washed over Karen.

"So that's his Geass," Karen said as she flipped a switch in the Guren's cockpit, the despair vanishing, "Geass won't work on me."

"What…she knows about," Ogi said surprised as the Mordred appeared next to the Guren.

"Anya, take care of the Gawain. The Geass user Lelouch wants is in it. I'll send these Rounds packing," Karen said over a secure channel to Anya, "Turn the Disturber on beforehand though."

"Understood," Anya responded dispassionately, "A prototype seventh generation machine isn't enough to beat me."

Aboard the Avalon, Schneizel was watching the developments with an intense glare in his eyes, "Everything, everything always goes your way. Lelouch…" he growled through gritted teeth, "I'll show him…"

"That would be ill-advised, your majesty," Waldstein's voice came as he appeared on the main screen, "He is a man who had his own father assassinated. He won't hesitate to turn the main cannon of his flying fortress upon you."

"…What are you talking about Knight of One?" Schneizel demanded looking the image of Waldstein straight in the eye, "That's impossible, the rest of the Rounds are there, you of all people are there, and father would never let an assassin get that close to him. There's no way an assassin could get close to him. Not him."

"It is my failing your majesty," Waldstein apologized, "I was there and I didn't noticed until it was too late. I will accept any punishment you deem necessary after you return safely. You must live through this and protect the empire from the monster that is Lelouch Vi Britannia."

Schneizel was grinding his teeth, barely containing his obvious anger. Odysseus dumbfounded at what he had heard, Carline had broken down into tears at the news. "Lelouch…I will," Schneizel said preparing to give an order.

"Your majesty, you will not survive a battle with him at this moment. You must return to the motherland immediately," Waldstein insisted, "Before he decides to attack you anyway. I believe the only reason he hasn't done so already is because of Prince Odysseus' and Princess Carline's presence."

"Very well, Waldstein you are right, I mustn't grow angry over this. Cool and collected, that's right, that's how father would be," Schneizel said, looking out at the battle, seeing the Apotheosis and the Shen-Hu combining into one mech, the Shen-Hu purging it's remaining arm and legs as the Apotheosis took their place and expanded the cockpit into a doubled cockpit, "With that combat power, we wouldn't last long even without the Azuchi to worry about. Waldstein, what are the chances that we can reclaim Area Eleven?"

"None your majesty, not until you return and we prepare. The Azuchi will likely be stationed there in China for a time. If you retreat before Lelouch receives the news that the assassination was successful then you can make it back to the mainland. But Area Eleven possesses considerable forces loyal to him and not Britannia, you must return," Waldstein urged.

"All forces!" Schneizel announced, changing to a military channel, "Return to the Avalon!" Turning the channel off, Schneizel glared at the newly formed Knightmare that was on the battlefield, a beastly looking white and gold mech with the purple of the Shen-Hu barely visible still, "I will stop you, Lelouch. I won't let you get away with this," and with that he stormed off the bridge.

Odysseus gaped in awe of what he had just seen, "He was…crying," Odysseus said sadly barely audible, and then walked forward to speak with Waldstein, "Knight of One, are you certain this is Lelouch's doing? Assassination…it seems too, unambitious for him. I would surely believe it if it was a full blown Coup D'etat, but an assassination?"

"There is no doubt, no one else could possibly benefit from such an action. There are few who could that would order such an assassination to prevent Prince Schneizel from assuming the Throne. Amongst those who would, they are believers in Lelouch's policies of audaciousness. Only Lelouch Vi Britannia would think to use this method amongst Schneizel's enemies. A method that no one would ever believe he would use. It is in that fact that it becomes something worthy of the Glorious Strategist."

"But you can't be sure," Odysseus said sharply.

"Your majesty, the only other possible culprit for this crime would be me, are you saying I'm trying to frame a Prince of Britannia?" Waldstein asked, then when Odysseus looked at him in a way to say that he was, "Your Majesty, surely you jest."

"If it comes between believing you and believing my little brother, I prefer to believe in my little brother. Waldstein, if I find that you are framing him, I will throw you to the monster myself," Odysseus said with a calm glare as he pushed a button on a console to cut Waldstein off.

"O…Odysseus, did he do it?" Carline asked, trying to compose herself.

"I'm not willing to believe it myself, but it's only one of three people. Lelouch, Schneizel, or Waldstein," Odysseus said, and looking out at the battlefield, "And Lelouch is the most suspicious. He's been preparing for a coup, there is no question of that."

"Then he did…"

"No, assassination…it's beneath him. Lelouch would certainly wage war against father without a second thought, but assassination is beneath him, such crude and deceptive actions. He would turn his nose up at such things. The Azuchi is a declaration of intent, but he seemed confident father would pick him…which is all the more reason to suspect something," Odysseus explained, "I'm suspicious, the Knight of One has Schneizel convinced, which gives me pause. But something doesn't seem right. He's had so many chances, why is he hesitating?"

Off, hidden away in the Chinese Federation, deep below the ground, V.V. was banging the wall in a great, darkened throne room. "Charles," he said, "You got killed, you idiot, how dare you get killed. Weren't we going to change the world?"

"Master V.V., what of the reports? They say…" a large man covered head to toe in black robes asked, the only distinguishing feature being the Geass symbol on his head.

"I know what they say!" V.V. yelled, spinning about on his heel to glare at the man behind him, "And they're wrong! There is no way he would do that. Lelouch Vi Britannia would never take the throne like that. It's a million times too crude for him, for someone who is so much like Charles. This is Schneizel's doing, the subtle strategist, he would do this!"

"Then what will you do Master V.V.?" another man dressed like the first asked.

"I don't know, Lelouch Vi Britannia has little power now. He has a lot of technology but not a lot of power. If I side with him, he may lose and I'll lose the Sword," V.V. said, moving away from the wall, and began pacing.

"He appears to be siding with the rebel faction in the civil war going on now. He's managed to turn the people against the former government while fighting against them now," one of the men said, "The fight is going in his favor. He has yet to use his super weapon, the gigantic flying ship."

"Gigantic flying ship? The Azuchi…that's right, it is the greatest weapon in the Empire, and Lelouch is learning how to construct his own Sword of Akasha…Between the cult and his own research, even if we can't retake Britannia anytime soon we can build a Sword for ourselves," V.V. said with a smile, "I'll make my move soon. Let him take China, then I'll make my move…in the meantime, inform Rolo to follow plan Theta."

Back on the battlefield, in the newly fused Shen-Hu and Apotheosis, the Bai-Hu. "This thing, it's truly incredible, the Baryon Cannon's power is greatly increased while the frame's new stability compensates for it and then some," Xingke remarked, astonished by what he was now piloting, Lelouch sitting above him in the expanded cockpit typing away on the keyboard, directing the Chinese forces now and controlling several of the mobile shields as weapons.

"Indeed it is, Xingke. And I do thank you for your understanding in the matter with the Black Knight Remnants," Lelouch said as the screens near him read that more Black Knight units had been captured, but the main prize, the Gawain had yet to be taken. The combination of Kain and Ogi proved unusually resilient in that frame that was ill-suited for close quarters combat.

"Tell me, you convinced…Tianzi to marry you to make this whole fiasco your plan, why? You don't seem particularly interested in either the marriage or China," Xingke asked, having finally asked after trusting Lelouch to win the coup for him for quite some time now.

"I need China's resources and military, or I did at least. But I do find the state it's in deplorable," Lelouch answered simply, "The original plan was to conquer China, but Schneizel's little underhanded plan forced me to change it to relying on your actions and Tianzi's conviction. Relax, after I gain the throne of Britannia your Empress is off the hook if she wants to call the whole thing off. I'll go through with it if she wants to, it's a good move for me but I won't force the issue."

"Tell me, why do you want the throne?" Xingke asked, glancing back at Lelouch.

"Are you familiar with my favorite game? Chess that is," Lelouch asked Xingke with a smirk, "Tell me, what is the most powerful piece on the board?"

"The King," Xingke replied instantly, "Without the King all is lost, the King can draw the enemy in to attack it while forcing the enemy into a bad position all in the hopes of trying to take the King."

"An interesting answer, and it says volumes of your loyalties. I disagree though," Lelouch said as he directed more of their combined forces to minor victories, "It's the pawn."

Xingke piloted the Bai-Hu quietly, and then chuckled, "The pawn. I see, that would explain it. That explains a lot. I think I finally understand you, Dragon of the East…You truly are the Emperor of Rebirth."

"Emperor of Rebirth?" Lelouch asked, surprised by that, "That's a new one."

"The world is reborn in the east, and the dragon is the symbol of the Emperor. The Bai-Hu only appears when the Emperor rules with Virtue…a perfect choice for the first use of this system of yours," Xingke said between chuckles, "Why couldn't a man like you have been born as our Emperor, Tianzi is kind and wise, but she doesn't have that force of power you have. So much could have been avoided if she had that as well, she could have cowed those cowardly Eunuchs before they began to bully her."

"If she lacks it then teach it to her," Lelouch said with a smirk, "I was similar to how she was when I was her age. I was a kind little boy concerned about his little sister, who wanted to save his little sister from becoming a political tool. To give her a good life, to do that I became a monster, I conquered Japan, and have held it ever since, in the past year I've gained everything I needed to make the final play. To gain the throne, I took it without a second thought, became a greater monster for it."

"…I see, to become a dragon to save those without power, your motivation is your sister…we're not that different are we?" Xingke mused as he used the upgraded Baryon Cannon to successfully take out a mobile fortress in one shot.

"I suppose not, but you are still human," Lelouch said, "Let us switch topics, this one depresses me now. Oh? Well what's this?"

Xingke smiled as they came upon a mobile fortress that was hiding inside a canyon, "There they are, this war is over," Xingke said as he turned the Bai-Hu towards their new target, "Prepare for it."

Lelouch began typing away as the mobile shields swarm about and began producing a Gefjon field about them, "Enhanced Gefjon Baryon Cannon ready for firing," Lelouch said with a smirk as the Eunuchs pleaded to them over an open channel, "Fire when ready."

" Take it, Eunuchs, the Howl of the White Tiger," Xingke said as he fired, the Gefjon fields expanding the beam to completely envelop the Eunuchs Mobile Command fortress, the open channel going silent afterwards, the entire mobile fortress exploding in an impressive display of power. "This is, truly the White Tiger of the West."

Lelouch smirked, and said to himself under his breath, "Stage Three, cleared. Now things get difficult."

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter. Which is more or less the end of the China arc. Plenty of revelations this chapter. Well I won't bore you too much so onto the questions…

1) Well then, Lelouch is unaware of the assassination, V.V. is alive and well (and plotting his revenge), and Schneizel appears to not know anything. So here's the question, is Waldstein working on his own, is he working under someone else's orders, or is Schneizel really responsible and being a good actor?

2) Rolo is up to something (and is going to be appearing soon), what do you think V.V. is having him do? (Clue: Given the plan name, it must be something that's a back-up of a back-up plan)

3) Odysseus suspects something is wrong, do you think he's going to learn anything or will he be as ineffectual as he is in canon?

4) What will Nunnally think when she learns what happened to Charles? And will C.C. say anything?

5) I'm starting to do side stories to this fic, any requests for plot angles I didn't cover in this fic? The Ashford Academy stuff is not a valid choice yet.

With that said, look forward to the start of "Stage 4" and in the meantime, the first side-story has begun "Resolve and Reason" a fic centering on Kaguya's time in Lelouch's mansion (And will say how she found the Zero Mask). Also once again, check out Spirit of the Wolf as it will take the place of this fic in the update schedule for a while.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	38. All Hail

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, if I did…hell, nevermind "All Hail Britannia" is too awesome as is…in fact if you have it you might want to hit play on infinite loop right about now.

Stats: 1006 reviews (38 last chapter), 96770 hits (1364 last chapter), 20 c2s, 224 favs, and 217 alerts

Woot! Broke the 1000 review mark the same chapter I broke 100 thousand words

* * *

In China, a mere week after the overthrow of the previous government, "Are you sure these devices will work?" Xingke asked at a meeting with various officials who had been chosen as representatives of the people in the newly designed government, Tianzi as it's official head.

With a twirl of a pipe he received his answer, "Of course I am, Lelouch left me here for a reason," Rakshata said as if it was the simplest fact in the world, "These plans to modernize the factories of China and to modernize the farm lands should greatly increase the quality of life here, the equipment was brought along with us when we first arrived. It is only a matter of teaching your people how to use them."

"But this protectorate business, wouldn't this be giving up our sovereignty?" Xingke asked, slightly confused on the matter.

"In name," Rakshata explained, "For all intents and purposes China will be autonomous of Britannia. Official rulership will be under Lelouch, but the only thing that will be expected of you is to accept Britannian Nationals as you would Chinese Nationals, to provide military support, and to comply with basic laws guaranteeing basic human rights that are listed in the paperwork there."

Xianglin spoke up to Xingke at that, "Are we certain we truly wish to deal with him, I mean he's…"

"Lelouch Vi Britannia did not kill his father. That man would never stoop to something as low as assassination. He would certainly kill his father if he felt the need to, but he would do it openly in war or in a duel, never in such a cowardly manner. That man would not use such methods, it goes against his personality," Xingke said, "Something as half-hearted as an assassination isn't something he'd do." Xingke looked at the papers and sighed, "This really is the best option for China isn't it?"

In Japan, Lelouch was standing before a mirror, several outfits strewn about the giant walk in closet he was in. A strangely calm expression on his face, despite having been accused as the head conspirator in the assassination of his own father he was calm. Like he was the one holding all the cards, "Lelouch-sama," Sayoko said walking into the closet, "It'll begin soon."

Lelouch sighed, "Tell me, Sayoko have you ever had the feeling of nervousness so strong that you've entered a sort of nirvana?"

"I can't say that I have, then again I can't say that I've been in your situation before, or even anything remotely similar to it," Sayoko said looking at one outfit that seemed to be discarded completely, "Lelouch-sama, why not this one? It does make quite the impression."

Lelouch took a look at it and smirked, "Maybe you're right. Doesn't hurt to use it more than once when it's as bold as it is….tell me, have we received any confirmation that the deportees who wouldn't stay here under my rule have reached Britannia?"

Elsewhere, in the imperial capitol, "This world, is full of sadness," Schneizel said to a huge crowd, gathered in front of the grand imperial palace in Britannia, wearing clothing to mark himself as the Emperor and standing in front of large screens displaying the symbol of Britannia, "Murder, war, hatred," the images changing to images of battles across the world were shown as he said those three words, "...Sickness, plague, despair," images of people in desolate ghettos suffering from all manner of nasty diseases, "…selfishness, theft, greed," scenes of riots and of robberies were shown, "…our beautiful world is full of sadness from these things."

Schneizel took a deep breath as the images returned to the symbol of Britannia, "My father was a harsh man, one who wanted nothing more than to bring peace to the world. He wished to do it as quickly as he could, and thus we have become what we are today, a superpower with an overwhelming military, where no one can challenge us. I do not disagree with my father's methods, it is only through a strong military that peace can be maintained, only the strong may sway the violence in mankind's heart. Make the violence silent to let the kindness flow forth. It is only through the benevolence of the strong that the rest of the world may know real peace, secure in the knowledge that they will be protected from others who would oppress them. As the new emperor, that is what I swear upon, that I swear upon my dear father's grave I will do. I will protect those without strength, I will make Britannia strong, I will bring peace to the world."

The crowd below seemed ready to chant when Schneizel surprised them by continuing, "But unfortunately I have already received a challenge to this goal. My own little brother is the one responsible for our father's death. Lelouch Vi Britannia," Schneizel continued, images of Lelouch's appearance at the Chinese Embassy where his plans to foil Schneizel's plans to use him as a marriage tool were shown, flanked by his two knights, all three in black, "He sabotaged his own marriage for his benefit," images of the Azuchi forming out of the five parts appeared on the screen, "Displayed his intentions with flagrant arrogance," then the images of Lelouch's forces fighting both Britannia's forces and the High Eunuchs was shown, showing him fusing the Apotheosis with the Shen-Hu, "And then joined the rebellious military of China to overthrow it and set-up a puppet government submissive to himself."

Then the images of the test flight of the Seiren appeared, "He has prepared for this, his intentions hidden even from our own Knights of Rounds until recently. His weapons are superior," images of the freed Black Knight were shown, as more were released from the prisons in Area Eleven, images of Toudou Kyoshiro leading things were shown, "He has freed and worked with terrorists," then images of Britannian military personal were shown assisting the released Black Knights, "And he has corrupted many young men and women to his cause." Then the flag of Britannia appeared behind Schneizel as the Britannian anthem began to play, "But we will not lose, we are Britannia, we will evolve, we will grow stronger, we will stop this tyrant from polluting the world with despair, with his hatred, and with his greed! All…" then Schneizel raised his voice slowly, "Hail…"

"Schneizel," Lelouch's voice boomed over the loudspeakers as the Anthem continued to play, the signal feeding the televisions switching to a picture of Lelouch sitting in a throne in the same clothes that he had appeared at the Chinese Embassy with. The Britannian flag behind him. To his right was Nunnally, sitting in a royal wheelchair in a full flowery gown. To his left were both of his Knights kneeling down, Karen closest to him. "So you intend to truly go through this charade."

Slowly standing up his eyes never left the camera in front of him, a sad expression on his face. Lelouch walked towards the camera ever so slightly, and then stopped, his hands clenched into fists by his side, the Anthem of Britannia getting slightly louder, and Lelouch's voice thundered over it in a calm and controlled rumble, "This world, is ever so sickly. Deceit, secrets, betrayal," Lelouch said recordings between Schneizel and the Eunuchs played, barely above the Anthem, "...Manipulation, coercion, pride," Lelouch continued as recordings of a conversation with Charles played, detailing Schneizel's plans to use Lelouch, "…Larceny, insurrection, envy," Lelouch added as Schneizel's own speech where he accused Lelouch of assassinating their father then played, "This world is full of this sickness. Our glorious world cries out in pain as brother accuses brother, sister despises sister, and child murders parent."

Schneizel's eyes widened slightly but never ceasing to glare at Lelouch, glancing over behind the scenes of what was his speech he could see the Knight of One desperately trying to cut Lelouch off. "This world, cries out to be saved from the lies of betrayal, from the oppression of pride, and the thieving ways of envy," Lelouch spoke up as the recordings stopped, the Anthem blaring in full glory now, but never loud enough to obscure Lelouch's voice, "My father is dead, a man who gave me a chance when no one else would have, a chance to a small boy who others would think was only throwing a temper tantrum. A man who entrusted me with the responsibility of one of the most important territories of the empire, with not only it's conquering but it's governorship. A boy of a mere ten years of age was given such great responsibilities seven years ago. My father recognized me, recognized my potential, and gave me my chance to use it, to prove I was his son. I rose to his challenge, I attained everything he expected of me and more. The loyalty of a people who would otherwise hate us, thanks to the humility to accept we are not superior based merely on race. And due to the generosity to give everybody an equal chance, a chance to serve the empire to the best of their ability, a chance to redeem themselves of their crimes, to glorify themselves and their people in the eyes of the empire. But I have been blocked time and time again under the Empire's rules from truly making them equal."

Lelouch raised his right hand, palm extended towards the camera as if grasping for something, "But no longer. I will no longer allow the rules of an empire that has had its throne stolen bind me." He clenched his hand and said, "I will not fall. I will rise, and take this chance, to rebuild the empire into what it was always meant to be."

Images of Kyoshiro Toudou appeared on the screen, kneeling down before a screen showing Lelouch. Then it minimized to show another screen of a similar scene, but this time showing Jeremiah Gottwald. It too minimized to show Lelouch in the largest frame again, however his Knights were absent from that image now. Flanking both men were high ranking officers, facing the screens at an angle, around Toudou were Black Knights, and around Jeremiah were Britannian military officers, "My generals, Kyoshiro Toudou, Jeremiah Gottwald. Do you swear upon the glory and pride of your people to serve Britannia to the best of your ability?"

"Yes, your highness!" they proclaimed in unison.

Lelouch smiled as the two images vanished leaving only his image on the screens. He then looked straight at the camera once again, this time his eyes were drawn into a glare, as if he was glaring down at Schneizel from the screen, he brought his right hand to his chest, placing it over his heart, over the symbol of Britannia, "I pledge, upon my beloved father's grave, a grave I have yet to be given the privilege to visit, a grave I have been denied the honor of visiting. I pledge upon it to free Britannia of this sickness, to take the throne back, to punish our father's true killer. That I will lead Britannia to its rightful glorious place in history, as the one power to truly unite the world under one banner of peace and prosperity. I shall do this no matter the pain it causes me to bear my fangs at the motherland, to save it from the sickness that overcomes it."

Removing his hand from his chest and returning it to his side, he smirked and said, "Schneizel, I welcome your challenge. I will clear Britannia of the taint you have dared to sully it with. Britannia will not stand your rule. We will strive, we will survive, and…We. Will. Evolve." Images began to flood the screen as the Azuchi took flight over Area Eleven, it's name portrayed proudly over the area identification of Area Eleven, no the location suddenly changed to 'Protectorate of the Empire, Japan.' One Knighmtare stood on top of each of the four of the extensions of the Azuchi. The image flashed to show the brilliant red and gold Guren, a title naming it as the Guren Kashoshiki and naming the Pilot as Karen Kozuki. Then it switched to the serene blue and gold Seiren, a title naming it as such with the pilot named as Kyoshiro Toudou.

The image switched to a different Knightmare, a mostly gold knightmare with black highlights in a similar style as the Guren and Seiren, a great long barreled extendible rifle attached to it's back, enlarged forearms as if they contained additional weaponry, and a long sword in the same style as the Seiren's. It was titled the Konjiku, and the pilot was listed as Nagisa Chiba.

The image changed to a pure white Knightmare, once again in the same style, with an enormous shoulder mounted cannons, exceptionally enlarged forearms, and two great broadswords at its sides. This Knightmare was listed as Junpaku, and its pilot was listed as Cecelia Lamperouge.

Lelouch appeared on the screen again, thrusting his fist in the air he declared, his voice erupting in a thunderous roar, "All! Hail! Britannia!"

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter…now onto the questions…

1) Between the two speeches, whose did you like more and why? (One guess as to what song I played the entire time I was writing this chapter)

2) Out of this entire fic, what was your favorite line?

3) Out of this entire fic, what was your favorite scene?

4) Who do you think will side with who after this chapter (Only the people who aren't confirmed yet and have any real power)?

5) How do you think Lelouch got those recordings of Schneizel?

6) So what do you think the reaction to Lelouch's "All Hail Britannia" was (This'll be the first thing that happens next chapter)?

And that's all, and yes, this fic is still on more or less hiatus, but I wrote this chapter and felt like posting it now.

Now press that review button before Sayoko gives you fashion advice.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	39. Codes

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass…what you want something more?

Stats: 1054 Reviews (46 reviews last chapter), 110530 hits (1921 hits last chapter), 22 c2s, 251 favs, and 241 alerts

* * *

The crowd standing there before the great palace in Pendragon was silent for a moment, the weight of Lelouch's words bearing down on them, and the most unexpected thing of all still stunning them. And then it began, the sound of thousands upon thousands of voices chanting two things in unison with one another, "All! Hail! Britannia!...All! Hail! Emperor Lelouch!" And it was not coming from the Britannians gathered in Pendragon, it was coming from the voices of those who had allied with Lelouch, the now former Chinese Federation and Japan.

"Never before…never have I had to restrain myself from declaring my loyalty to Britannia like this," Gino said, behind the scenes in the castle, clenching his fists glaring at what he could see of Lelouch on the large screens, "Damn you, Lelouch."

Suzaku was standing beside Gino at that moment, "…He truly is a monster," Suzaku said almost under his breath, "He will not let the world have its deserved peace."

Luciano was watching the screen, a smirk on his face, "So he wants a fight does he?" His expression changed to a wicked grin, "Oh this is great, the chance he has given me."

In South America, another announcement was being made, by Guinevere, the first princess of Britannia, standing atop a magnificent platform sticking out of a mansion of her own design. Lelouch's speech having played on a large screen below her on a broadcast of what was supposed to be Schneizel's triumphant ascension. She slowly raised his hand out in front of her, and then brought it over her heart, "All, Hail, Britannia!" she declared simply, the crowd that she had drawn quickly joining in, and then added, "All, Hail, Emperor Lelouch!"

In the royal palace in Pendragon, watching the result of the speeches in a private room, Odysseus was quietly sitting. "…It's really hard to know which one is more worthy," he finally commented, "Lelouch certainly is prepared for this inevitable war."

"Yes he is, no matter what happens Britannia is going to be torn apart in this coming conflict. Which of these two planned this out?" Cornelia asked no one in particular, sitting beside Odysseus, "Perhaps the best we can do is try and minimize the damage."

Heavy footsteps entered the room, both Odysseus and Cornelia visibly shuddering when they felt the presence, "Then I'll solve this problem, I'll stop Lelouch long before he ever steps foot on Britannia."

"Euphy…" Cornelia said looking at her younger sister who had changed quite a bit since her return to the homeland.

Atop the Azuchi, Toudou sat in his Seiren smirking as he heard the Japanese and Britannians alike in Japan declaring their loyalty to Lelouch and Britannia as a whole, "Ironic isn't it?" he commented on a channel going between the four General units.

"Eh? What is?" Karen asked on the channel, her question made it sound like this was natural to her.

"That you had spent so much time fighting Britannia, and now here you are pledging your loyalty to Lelouch and Britannia in front of the entire world," C.C. commented rather bored with the whole show.

Chiba let out a light laugh, "It is fairly ironic. There's something about that man, he makes you want to follow him. And that power of his has nothing to do with it even."

In Britannia, Schneizel stormed inside after the rather humiliating situation Lelouch had put him in. The chants of 'All Hail Britannia' filling the air, both from the broadcast and the crowds below, "My Lord…" Waldstein said walking up to Schneizel.

"Lelouch…he's all but won this war now. He's turned public opinion to his side, this war…it has to be settled before he reaches Britannia. If he reaches Britannia, a massive tide of support will reach him," Schneizel said, clenching his fists, "Lelouch used Nunnally, Nunnally who is known as a shining light of moral integrity in our family and as a shining light of kindness. With her beside him during the speech, he's said 'I am innocent of these charges' in a far more convincing way that to simply deny it. Bismarck, are the Gareth ready for deployment?"

"Yes, your majesty, and I have a plan to stop Lelouch from ever stepping foot on the mainland," Waldstein said with a confident look to his eye, "He won't win."

Aboard the Azuchi Lelouch was smiling, his broadcast ended now, alone in a room featuring a map of the Pacific Ocean. "Where will Schneizel attack first?" he asked himself while moving various markers around, developing a defense of sort around Japan.

"Most likely he'll wait for you to make a move before he chooses," V.V. said walking into the room, an ever present smirk on his face, "You made good use of those recordings I gave you. The Britannian populace is torn between you and Schneizel now."

Lelouch's eyes twitched for a second before he immediately composed himself, "Indeed, we can only hope that Schneizel doesn't learn what it is exactly that he has under his control now…"

V.V. chuckled at Lelouch, walking forward as he carefully altered Lelouch's current formation, "Indeed, to possess the current working Sword of Akasha. We must ensure he does not attain either myself or C.C."

"Would the activation of the Sword not require either of you to agree to activate it?" Lelouch asked, "That was your plan with my parents was it not?"

"Yes, but to start an incomplete Ragnarok is unacceptable, and he possesses Waldstein who possesses a Geass. He could steal either of our Codes if it finishes evolving quickly enough. And of the back-up Sword?" V.V. asked with a smirk.

"My scientists are working alongside your Cult now to develop the Akasha technology. Divination will be completed within a week in fact," Lelouch said with a smirk, pressing a button on the table in front of him, turning a screen on and revealing three jets, Apotheosis and two others, "Akasha will be a possibility if we can develop the Deification as well."

"Perhaps, but it is unlikely. Divination is only a possibility because I've provided information on my Code, you produced Apotheosis by studying C.C.'s code. To produce Deification you'd need a third code to study. Only mine and C.C.'s codes exist now," V.V. stated simply, "If you had a third code the current Sword of Akasha would be unnecessary."

"Indeed? That's interesting," Lelouch said, inwardly smiling, V.V. didn't know about G.G. and it looked like he was assuming C.C. gave the Geass to the current users he didn't know about, "But you still have not told me what the Sword of Akasha does exactly."

"It executes Ragnarok, the birth of a new world," V.V. said simply, "By killing God."

Lelouch narrowed his eyes, "So cryptic, I can't help but feel you're hiding something."

"The same goes for you, Emperor Lelouch," V.V. said with a strange smirk, he wasn't quite praising him, but he also wasn't mocking him, "You're hiding things as well."

"We don't trust each other yet, it is only natural," Lelouch said, smirking as he watched V.V. from the corner of his eye, changing the plan V.V. had placed on the board, "But you did give me an idea here."

Back in Britannia in Pendragon, Schneizel sat in the vacant throne room, "So Britannia really has broken in two, Guinevere has rallied the South America Continent behind Lelouch. While the majority of the North American continent is behind me, at least in name."

"Your majesty," Waldstein said walking in, "You desire it don't you, a power to rival Lelouch's?"

"A power…what are you…" Schneizel began to ask as Waldstein removed the seal closing his left eye, a brilliant red sigil shining within it, "What is…"

"Geass, the power of the king, a power that Lelouch likely has gained," Waldstein explained, "You could have it to, if we could find a Code-Bearer who has not allied themselves with Lelouch."

"Geass…this would make me even with Lelouch? How? It's probably only a tactical weapon, Lelouch possesses a tactical and strategic…" Schneizel began when Waldstein interrupted him.

"The Sword of Akasha, the greatest weapon in existence lies behind you, behind that wall and behind a door only those with Geass or a Code may open, and only those with Code can use," Waldstein explained with a smile, "With it, regardless of what Lelouch does, you will be able to remake the world as you see fit."

"…then how do I find this, Code Bearer you're talking about?" Schneizel asked, standing up, "If this weapon is as strong as you say, I must get to it before Lelouch can get to it."

"There is one left who has not allied with Lelouch, but she will likely be hard to get. Seeing as how she foolishly attacked Lelouch and is now in captivity," Waldstein said, "A woman by the name of G.G."

"G.G." Schneizel said and then he sighed, "Do what must be done, retrieve her at all costs."

"Yes, your majesty," Waldstein said with a smirk, resealing his eye, "Your will be done."

"…You said the only one who had yet to ally themselves with Lelouch though…I assume he has one ally, but you make it sound like he has more," Schneizel said, almost dismissing Waldstein.

"Why yes my lord, unfortunently he has gained the strongest of Code-Bearers. V.V. the leader of the Geass Cult and, your uncle my lord," Waldstein reported, "He was your father's ally until he was assassinated, the reason he would join Lelouch is beyond me other than the possibility he joined this betrayal of Lelouch's."

"My…why have I never seen him? Surely I would have noticed someone like…"

"Code Bearers are also eternally young and immortal," Waldstein explained, "Which is why…"

Schneizel's eyes went wide for a moment, "I see…then, I missed it, I missed a chance to capture both of them, I thought she was important, but that important, and that child…I knew Lelouch had some Geass, but I had no idea it was something that so tipped the odds to his favor."

"So you knew more than his majesty was giving you credit for," Waldstein said, "This is good, then you must realize the most important targets."

"Waldstein…concentrate on that G.G. we must get her. The other two will be too well guarded, Lelouch will assume we don't know about her," Schneizel said, "We take her and we'll restore the balance of power."

"Yes, your majesty," Waldstein said, turning around and leaving, a triumphant smirk on his face as he walked out the door.

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter. Lots of setup stuff this chapter, and I didn't want to get into the next major scene and have to end it early thus the reason why this chapter is shorter than average. Next chapter is when things pick up...hopefully at least I'm off my groove with this fic at the moment. Well anyways, onto those lovely questions of mine…

1) So do you think V.V. is just playing along with Lelouch or do you think he is actually unaware of G.G.'s existence?

2) Regardless of whether V.V. knows about her or not, Bismarck Waldstein certainly does, and he has something up his sleeve. What exactly do you think he has planned? Or for that matter, is it something he's planning with V.V.?

3) Lelouch seems to be actually developing his own Sword of Akasha in earnest now. Do you think he knows what it really does, and if so what do you think he plans on doing with his Sword?

And that's all, now press that review button before Waldstein plans circles around you.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	40. Freedom

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, if I did then the last couple of episodes would be so much more epic.

Stats: 1082 reviews (27 reviews last chapter), 119369 hits (1511 hits last chapter), 23 c2s, 268 favs, and 256 alerts

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Lelouch sat smirking in his throne aboard the Azuchi, the bridge vacant to give him some time alone now, everything was going according to his plans now. V.V. knew nothing of importance, meaning that he had no real power over Lelouch…besides that Geass user of his…the one who could stop time, that was an ability not easily dealt with. Lelouch sighed as he leaned back and looked at the ceiling, "As things stand, Ragnarok has been avoided. That mad plan has been stopped for now…now I must stop that plan as well…Whatever Waldstein is up to."

"A mad plan," C.C. said walking into the room, "I suppose it is. I still can't believe you're purposefully sealing your own mother away…preventing her Geass from taking hold of that girl."

"If I were to release her…I'm not sure I could stay strong and refuse her wish to activate Ragnarok, by sealing her Geass with the Geass Disturber. V.V. is only not pushing the issue because he fears I'll react poorly to his suggestion at this time, and he's not sure he can convince you to join him again without my assistance. Then there is the fact he likely has no idea we can do it, build a true Sword of Akasha, Apotheosis, Divination, and Deification have the core parts built already thanks to his research on the Codes and Geass, and the Code-R research."

"You never had any intention of using the Sword of Akasha…why do you plan on building it?" C.C. asked him, "You should have realized by now that…"

"That its destruction is not what you truly wished? Yes I do, you won't say your true wish. But regardless, it isn't something that would conflict with my desires, you would have spoken up by now if it was," Lelouch said, slowly standing up, and then clutched his left eye, grunting out, "There it is again…"

"Your eye again…" C.C. said, uninterested in it, though mildly annoyed, "…I suppose it must mean that your Geass is finally evolving, it would explain my headaches."

"Evolving? I see…that would make sense…growing pains…How will it evolve?" Lelouch asked concerned that he might have to do something unusual now.

"Possibly it'll evolve into a state where you can't turn it off," C.C. answered simply, "But you avoided my question, what do you plan on doing with the…"

"The Sword of Akasha, there are several abilities it has that would make it an exceptionally powerful weapon in this world. It was never done because the research for it didn't exist. From V.V.'s Code we gain the ability of Erase. From G.G.'s we have the ability of Disruption. And then from yours we have the ability of Connection. Each Code has a unique ability that makes it different from the other Codes, that when combined creates a Sword of Akasha," Lelouch explained with a smirk, "My father wished to use the power of connection to link the Sword to 'God,' use the Geass Ruin's natural power to disrupt 'God's' hold on the world, and then use V.V.'s power of erase to kill 'God.' Unlike that plan, I can recreate all three parts of the equation on my own."

"I see…that's your plan. With that, even killing we Code-Bearers wouldn't be impossible for you…" C.C. said, somewhat interested now, "You…don't disappoint."

"Of course not. With this, as long as I can hold onto it and you, Ragnarok will not ever occur," Lelouch declared with a smirk, "In fact, I could likely stop Ragnarok with my Sword of Akasha."

"A Shield of Akasha," C.C. mused, "Turning the most devastating weapon in mankind's history into its one hope if the first is ever used…just like you. To turn a sword into a shield, as you've done with this Azuchi. Schneizel hesitates to attack you because of it. But you hesitate to move it out in fear of a sneak attack. With the main cannon, nothing can even come close to it before it can fire. Meaning there is only one option if they were to attack Japan."

"To destroy the Azuchi with a pinpointed covert operation strike," Lelouch said, "Which is why nothing of importance will be on the Azuchi. The Sword will be aboard Corbenic, and the four lord frames will be aboard the Shinsengumi."

"You'll be on the Corbenic as well I can assume," C.C. guessed, "And I'll be aboard the Shinsengumi…"

"No, you'll be aboard the Corbenic with me, the Junpaku was a decoy with you as it's pilot. I have someone else I want to pilot it. I want you with me when I finally launch the Sword…no the Shield of Akasha," Lelouch answered immediately, a smirk on his face, "I want people to think you'll be there, Schneizel will likely prioritize you. I want him to think he's won if he takes the Junpaku. When in reality nothing could be further from the truth."

Lelouch smirked as his phone began ringing, "Right on time," Lelouch said, answering his phone his smirk only broadened as he listened to a report, "Excellent, they took the bait. Good work on making it convincing. Give chase but don't capture them. I want Schneizel to get G.G."

Hanging up, Lelouch looked like he was restraining something, and then he started laughing, a low almost ominous chuckle at first. Slowly building up into an outright evil cackle, a voice said as the door to the room opened up, "You're enjoying yourself too much…Emperor of Revival."

Lelouch slowly caught his breath, looking at the source of the and said, "Ah, Anya, what can I do for you?"

"You have not yet told me, what it is my role in your plan is," Anya said, walking into the room proper.

"With me aboard the Corbenic," Lelouch answered simply, "Your role is going to be the same as the Corbenic's role itself."

Anya looked at Lelouch and asked, "The Corbenic?"

Lelouch smirked as he pushed a button on his throne, bringing up an image on the main screen of the Azuchi, of a flat ship that had two extensions on either side of it, like they were hydrofoil wings, but their positioning seemed odd, too even with the main body of the ship to be hydrofoils and too far away from the body as well. "….I see, so that's the plan," Anya said looking at the image.

"Indeed, the Azuchi while a powerful weapon, is ultimately only useful for defense. As an offensive weapon it's now useless after it's first deployment. To defeat Schneizel it has to be prepared to be sacrificed so that the real weapon will work," Lelouch said simply.

"This Corbenic is the true weapon…or are you referring to Gilgamesh?" Anya asked.

"Gilgamesh is part of the plan…if I can avoid having to use it though that will be ideal. But no, it's not the real weapon, the weapon that will truly decide this war is something else," Lelouch answered, "A weapon that surpasses all others."

"Geass…"

"No, something far greater," Lelouch answered with a chuckle, and then began walking out of the room, "Akasha."

"Akasha…what does that…"Anya asked, following him out the room.

Elsewhere, now over the Pacific Ocean, "Finally I'm free from that wretched place," G.G. said, casting away thick leather bonds that had restricted her movement since she had been captured.

"G.G., it is good to see you well," Waldstein said as a special-forces officer brought a small television to her, "I trust our retrieval was timely?"

"Too slow, I was in there far too long…ah this much be the little boy-Emperor," G.G. said with a smile, seeing Schneizel behind Waldstein, "So I expect you are the one behind all this. What is it that you wish of this immortal witch?"

"Geass," Schneizel said simply, "You can explain it to me and grant it to me can you not?"

"Indeed, in exchange I want it, the Sword of Akasha," G.G. immediately said, "The weapon to kill God."

"G.G., you know you will need another Code to make it work," Waldstein cautioned, only for G.G. to smile in response, "I see. Brilliant as always, the one person to force me back during the Battle of Gibraltar."

"Oh you remember when we first met, how kind of you Bismarck," G.G. said, "Well what do you say your majesty? The world for a weapon?"

"Very well, I agree," Schneizel said, "What is Geass?"

"The Power of the King to put it simply. To be correct, all life is one entity with different faces, Geass allows one face to exert some dominion over the others. Lelouch's Geass is the Geass of Absolute Obedience. He can exert an absolute obedience to himself from any of the other faces," G.G. explained quickly and simply.

"And of this Code?" Schneizel asked.

"Immortality, separation from the collective entity. It is a person's connection to that entity that causes one to die. When separated from it you cannot die," G.G. answered truthfully, "Being separated from that entity also grants one immunity to Geass."

"I see….and then such beings are capable of granting Geass, which means Lelouch has the perfect bodyguard against it,"

"You are correct, and the fact that you have freed me tells me that he not only has one such guard, but he has two. Your father's ally and Code-Bearer has also joined Lelouch it would seem. Meaning Lelouch has two Code-Bearers allied with him, and it would seem he has also gained either the support of many of my contracts or has captured them. Meaning he not only possesses two Code-Bearers, he also has multiple Geass users at his disposal. This puts us at a disadvantage. Especially with that technological edge he has gained," G.G. theorized, "Waldstein, you haven't seen the other Code-Bearer have you?"

"No, it is likely as you have guessed, that his highness V.V. has joined Lelouch, believing Lelouch's lies of Schneizel having been behind his father's murder," Waldstein agreed, "The Azuchi, Lelouch's mega-fortress is the weapon that will…"

"We'll just cheat and work around it," G.G. said with a smile, We'll make use of the Geass Ruins. We'll take V.V.'s code, destroy the Azuchi, and smash Lelouch before he becomes a greater threat. That is the answer you seek is it not?" G.G. asked, a subtle smile on her face now, a great wisdom behind her eyes, "I was caught off guard by Lelouch when he caught me. I don't make the same mistake twice. As long as my guard is up, none can defeat me."

"I look forward to working with you then," Schneizel said, "G.G. though…it's an unusual name."

"I am after all a witch, what use do I have for a human name?"

In Japan, Lelouch took his first step into an underground base, in the middle of it a great pool of water where the ship that he had showed Anya earlier awaited him, "Corbenic," Lelouch said almost in awe, seeing it in person for the first time.

"A ship named after the Holy Grail's castle, a fitting place for those three ships of yours," Rakshata said walking up, her hair and clothing in perfect condition as usual, despite the general look of everybody else in the facility like they had worked for days on end, "I duplicated those three…Codes as you put it, but I still have no idea how they really work. Black boxes through and through. I assume you know how it works though so it doesn't matter if I understand it or not for now."

"How are the Deification and Divination coming then?" Lelouch asked and then added, "As well as the mass-produced Apotheosis upgrade for the Lord frames?"

"It'll be finished in time for the battle. I can't get the power output the same tough, that black box of a Code somehow increases the power of the machines as well. The power will suffer, but I theorize it'll push the machines into the eighth generation at least. And the true Apotheosis would upgrade a Knightmare into a ninth generation frame," Rakshata explained, "Keep that in mind before you go expending my hardwork."

Lelouch chuckled as he walked forward towards the Corbenic, "Of course. I look forward to it, to the completed Akasha. To possess the weapon to end all weapons. Nothing Schneizel can throw at me will ever work, even the technology I've let slip into his hands…the ultimate explosive weapon."

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter here. Things are picking up. Plans are picking up on both sides of this fight. Lelouch has deliberately given Schneizel many useful things, apparently with the confidence that it won't make any difference. Well then, onto the questions I always ask here…

1) Lelouch has alluded to what his Sword of Akasha is going to be used for, but what do you think it actually does?

2) Anya obviously has an idea what Lelouch's plan is, so what do you think he is planning here?

3) Waldstein and G.G. have met before, for some reason they ended up fighting and are now allies it would seem. Do you think they are the actual villains in this fic?

4) Lelouch seems to know what actually happened with his father's death, yet he isn't saying anything, why do you think that is?

And that's all, now press that review button before G.G. begins plotting your demise.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	41. Evolution

Disclaimer: I do now own Code Geass, if I did Lelouch would not have a pink sword

Stats: 1104 reviews (20 last chapter), 128320 hits (1506 last chapter), 25 c2s, 281 favs, and 266 alerts

* * *

G.G. stood before it, the doorway to the Sword of Akasha in the Britannian capitol of Pendragon in the secret room hidden behind the throne room. Behind her stood Waldstein and Schneizel, "Magnificent," she said admiring it, "Truly magnificent. At long last I stand before it. All for one little Geass."

Schneizel smirked as he stared at the door, and said, "I don't see what is sword-like about this door we are admiring. There is nothing behind this wall what could you possibly be expecti…"

G.G. chuckled and turned around to look at Schneizel, "You are about to witness the true nature of it all. Of your power I gave you and of the world itself. Bismarck, open it."

Bismarck smirked, walking forward as the seal on his left eye opened, revealing his own Geass, reaching his hand out towards the door, "Of course…"

The doors before them slowly began to open up, the gigantic doors swinging open towards them as a great golden light erupted from behind it. "What in the…" Schneizel said as they were swept inside. Schneizel looked about in wonder when he regained his senses, to see he was standing on top of a strange floating platform, "A temple…" Schneizel said looked up at another floating platform with a series of floating steps leading up to it.

"This is the Sword of Akasha…" G.G. said in wonderment, barely able to contain her excitement, "These….these twenty years of this accursed thing finally pay off," she continued glaring down at he left arm where she could see part of her Geass sigil sticking out. She walked up towards the main platform where a temple like structure waited for her.

And then a flurry of bullets came out, throwing G.G. backwards from the number of bullets that entered her, "When Lelouch said you'd likely appear here, I didn't honestly believe he would be right," a small mocking voice said from atop the temple, Waldstein getting a gun out, "And to bring both of my targets with you as well. Such a poor tactical choice, you fake."

A small boy with long golden blonde hair appeared at the top of the temple, "V.V." Waldstein said looking up and aiming his gun, "So you truly did ally yourself with Lelouch."

"V.V. then he is another immortal," Schneizel said as a geass symbol erupted in his right eye, "I shall show it to you my…"

"Don't bother," Waldstein said immediately, "Keep your power hidden or Lelouch will learn of it's identity, it won't work against this opponent. Not against a Code-Bearer. He cannot be killed, cannot be bargained with, cannot be intimidated, and most importantly can't be Geassed."

Schneizel's eye returned to normal as V.V. only smirked, "Go ahead and hide it, that doesn't mean I'm restricted from playing my own…"

"Lady G.G.!" a voice exclaimed as several knightmares appeared around the three, strange knightmares, far larger than normal and without landspinners, "You did it at last!"

"What?" V.V. exclaimed looking down, "Knightmares…such items here? But how…her…"

"Indeed, Code-Bearer," G.G. said menacingly, an evil smirk on her face as she slowly got up, still bleeding rather profusely but no worse for wear by the way she was acting.

"Rolo! We're retreating!" V.V. growled, and then he vanished from sight in the space between moments.

"…Geass that can stop the perception of time," G.G. said with a smirk like she was speaking and was only now being heard, "Very interesting," she continued while removed a dagger from her throat.

Schneizel looked at G.G. and raised his eyebrow, "I see. So that's what's going on."

In Japan, atop the Government building in the rooftop garden, Lelouch was sitting at a round table with his knights and his newly christened generals. "And that is the plan," Lelouch said finishing a long and rather complicated explanation to the five people sitting at the table.

"….Incredible, to throw away the Azuchi like that for a chance to win," Toudou said, bridging his fingers, "It all makes sense now, why you have been so willing to show your hand."

"Indeed, it does make sense when you consider that last card he's kept hidden. The Akasha is the ultimate weapon, only he can use it, and with it no one can stand against him in battle…a tenth generation frame. The ninth generation can only be barely reached now. The idea that a tenth generation frame can actually exist in this day and age…incredible," Jeremiah said, a smirk on his face, "No you can't classify that thing as a Knightmare…"

"A god," Anya said, dividing her attention from a small diary and the talk.

"That machine is a real Deus Ex Machina," Toudou agreed with a simple nod of his head, "The question is, what do you plan on doing with it."

"Even after all that, you don't trust me yet?" Lelouch asked, a small smirk on his face, as if he couldn't blame Toudou, "I plan on destroying the other Sword of Akasha with it and winning this war."

"To stop that Ragnarok plan in it's tracks, and whatever G.G. wants to do with it," Karen clarified, more for herself, "Speaking of which, you still haven't explained it, what is Geass exactly."

"Yes, I possess it as well, yet I'm not even sure why it works, just that it does…and more importantly why this C.C. defies my ability," Chiba said, activating her Geass temporarily to look at the immortal, "I experienced difficulty…"

"With G.G.?" Lelouch asked with a smirk, seeing Chiba nod in agreement he continued, "As you thought C.C. it would appear that is the truth behind it. And more importantly, why it was so easy to analyze."

"G.G. is an artificial code-bearer it would seem," C.C. said out loud to the group, "Which explains why she has never appeared before in history."

Lelouch was about to speak when Toudou spoke up, "Then it is neither Schneizel, nor this G.G. that is our enemy. It's the one who created G.G.'s….code?"

"Exactly," Lelouch agreed, "It is as you said. They are enemies, but not the ones we need to defeat. G.G. is backed by someone bigger than she is, and the question is who. It is not Britannia, V.V. was unaware of G.G.'s existence until recently and goes so far as to not consider her a fellow immortal. After gaining the Chinese Federation as a Protectorate, if only temporarily, I have looked through their records and found no mention of any Code-Program. Which means one thing…"

"That the European Universe is behind G.G. and these attacks on Britannia, and more importantly our resident dragon," Mao voice came as he walked out from behind a corner, an almost sadistic smile on his face, "I've gotten finished with Kain's interrogation. The EU are responsible for a great many things recently, specifically the Italian Peninsula. That is where the…oh what was it called, the Geass Directorate has it's main base. G.G. is one of four artificial Code-Bearers they possess. The other three are K.K., H.H., and Z.Z."

"I see…they're still around," C.C. said, "The Knight Templar, the Geass Directorate is an evolution of the Knight Templar. It's actually older than myself, they've come a long way if they can create codes now."

Lelouch's eyes widened and then he looked behind him, "V.V. when did you get here?"

Behind them now stood V.V., standing behind him was a young boy with light purple eyes and brown hair, a rather effeminate boy at that. "Long enough to learn what I suddenly found myself finding," V.V. answered walking towards the table and then taking an empty seat, "They have the Sword of Akasha."

"I see…and there is nothing we can…" Lelouch said gritting his teeth before he was interrupted by V.V.

"Their codes are good fakes, let them have the Sword, they cannot use it. Only two things are capable of executing Ragnarok. Me and C.C." V.V. said calmly, snapping Lelouch out of his panic.

"Because we possess true Codes…likely the Directorate's codes are based on the Geass ruins, thus they wouldn't possess true codes," C.C. continued V.V.'s explanation, "Which means…"

"That the two of you are going to be their targets," Karen stated, "So that they can take your…then does that mean that Geass they give are…"

"Just as real as ones we grant. Geass is an inborn trait that we awaken," V.V. stated, "All humans possess the potential. But only a few are capable of handling the power. Fewer still are capable of remaining unconsumed by it."

"Unconsumed?" Chiba asked, suddenly very worried.

"Geass can ruin one's life if you don't control it, I am admittedly only this stable thanks to this little toy," Mao spoke up taking a small pendant from his pocket that was glowing brightly, removing his visor to reveal his Geass was deactivated, "When one can read thoughts at all times…it's a strong power, but also a strong curse."

"I see…then my own power," Chiba said, "Then why would she…"

"I would say it's because she doesn't care about the consequences, only that you were useful to her and would remain useful long enough for her to accomplish something," Jeremiah answered, a smirk on his face, "Which means we know what kind of person she is. And likely what kind of organization this Directorate is. However Prince Schneizel is also not to be underestimated, he's been driven back because he lacked information on our capabilities. We have two cards left they won't expect…no he'll expect one of them, he just doesn't know what it is yet."

"Two cards? The Azuchi and the Apotheosis?" V.V. asked, unaware of Corbenic and Akasha by all appearances.

"The less people who know of what I have up my sleeves the better," Lelouch said before anybody could inform V.V. of the truth, "You aren't part of the plan so it's better if you don't know…Because you're one of the main targets and I can't afford for this plan to get into their hands."

V.V. grumbled, "Very well, it's…acceptable reasoning," he caved, "I'll protect the China Ruins to cover your back. Guard the Japan Ruins, they may not realize there are ruins in those two locations now, but they will in time."

"No need to mention it to me," Lelouch said with a smile, "I've already placed units in the area."

"So it wasn't a coincidence," V.V. said and then he and his guard vanished.

"Geass Ruins…teleportation?" Toudou asked after V.V. had left.

"Not a viable option for us…no, actually that's the reason I'm building Akasha, to take advantage of that ability. They are likely making heavy use of that ability now, meaning trying to use it for ourselves would be almost certain death to anybody we sent in," Lelouch explained standing up from the table, and then suddenly hunched over, clutching his left eye, "Again with this…"

Mao looked at Lelouch and smirked, turning to leave he said, "Yeah, happened to me too, wonder how you'll handle it," before walking away.

Lelouch straightened up and took a deep breath, announcing, "Meeting adjourned."

"Not so fast," Karen stated standing up as well, "You still haven't told us what Geass is exactly."

Lelouch sighed and said, "All is one, one is all. That is the concept behind Geass and a fundamental truth to the world, it's the reason Geass works and the reason Code-Bearers are immune to it is because they are not part of the all."

"What…that doesn't…" Karen began to protest when Toudou's chuckling at Lelouch's response distracted her.

"I see…that is a very concise way of putting it. If a little disturbing when you consider what that says," Toudou said and then continued, "The Sword of Akasha kills god…then that would mean."

"Yes, it is as you think," Lelouch said, still clutching his eye, "You can see why I am making the Akasha now."

"Indeed…to fight it you need to use it," Anya said.

"Makes Geass look like a petty power in comparison," Jeremiah said, rather bored with the conversation now.

"I got myself tangled up into something much more dangerous than I could have ever imagined," Chiba said, slumping back in her chair.

"…Am I the only one who didn't get it?" Karen asked only for her to get an immediate answer.

"Yes," C.C. spoke up as Lelouch fell to his knees, "What?"

Lelouch suddenly cast aside a pendant from his pocket and a red light erupted from his left eye, a very bright red light, "My Geass…the Disturber…"

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter. Quite a few little plot twists here in this chapter. Without further ado I'll go straight to my questions this chapter.

1) Did you see the whole Geass Directorate thing coming?

2) More importantly, what do you think of that plot twist, that G.G. has an artificial code? And what implications do you think it has?

3) Now that everything has been put on the table, who do you think will be the final antagonist of the fic?

And that is all, now press that review button before G.G. throws some knightmares at you.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	42. The Source

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass

Story Stats: 1,141 reviews (28 last chapter), 153,253 hits (2469 hits last chapter), 28 c2s, 318 favs, and 314 alerts

* * *

"Toudou extend the western front, Schneizel is attempting to pierce through, let him. Karen, prepare to crush them between your contingent and Toudou's forces," Lelouch began sending out orders, sitting comfortably in a throne aboard the now finished Corbenic's bridge, watching a digital display of the troop positions around Japan, "Mao, take the Junpaku to the southern front with squadrons eighty four, eighty nine, and ninety three. Draw the Geass Directorate out."

"Of course, releasing Disturber now," Mao's voice responded over a secured channel, and then an almost insane laughter came immediately afterwards.

V.V. stood forward and gave out his own order, "Rolo, take D Twelve, D Nine, and D Seven to the eastern flank, crush them immediately."

"Hold Rolo," Lelouch said looking at the screen displaying the current layout of soldiers, "The Knight of Seven is coming your way. Kururugi Suzaku. Don't underestimate him or the Lancelot."

"Oy Chiba, the Knight of Ten is heading down the middle, cut him off, his ability to cause chaos will throw our side into disarray quickly," C.C. spoke up.

"Lelouch, this is Xingke. Can you spare reinforcements to China, we're having trouble forcing the invasion force from the…Geass Cult off, even with the cult's help," Xingke's voice came over another channel.

"Jeremiah, take the Azuchi and its guard, move to China to assist in the battle there. Protect our backs, we can't afford to be attacked on all sides," Lelouch immediately ordered. Lelouch couldn't help but smile watching the movements take place on the field of battle, watching the change of battle plans. Then he grimaced, "Waldstein, he's missing," Lelouch commented glaring down.

Elsewhere, standing in the middle of the Sword of Akasha's temple structure, Schneizel was watching his own display of what was going on, many doors connecting to the Sword now, leading out all over the world, Britannian troops moving through the doors constantly. "So this is Schneizel El Britannia's power," G.G. said walking out from a nearby hiding place, "To hold off the combined intellects of Lelouch Vi Britannia, C.C., and V.V."

"It was obvious we were dealing with three tacticians, Lelouch's tactics are far bolder than the other two. One of them is far more oppressive, completely snuffing out all opposition. And the third wisely chooses the best people to counteract my moves. Its easy to do once you have read their mindsets," Schneizel said simply, "And now that I finally have all the cards on the table. There are no further surprises to be had."

"I see, then you should be aware of the rather large object moving under the water," G.G. asked with a smile.

"Indeed, I expected that move, though it is far larger than I thought it would be. Lelouch has had this move prepared for some time. He'll likely move up the Gulf of California with whatever that is and attack Pendragon from the south. Very predictable," Schneizel said, "But of course I won't be there, so all hell manage in doing is capturing an empty castle. Then I'll have him."

"A solid plan, assuming he's on that ship,"

"He is on it. Lelouch will be unable to resist the temptation, for the chance to see my face as I lose to him. That's the kind of man he is, he wants to see his enemy lose," Schneizel explained, "And I've given him far too much pleasure thus far. Now can I assume those other Code Bearer's you've mentioned are preparing an assault from the western fronts?"

"Astute observation, yes they are, and they are…why is it rising above the surface?"

Seven hundred miles off the coast of the Japan, behind Schneizel's invasionary forces, Lelouch had the Corbenic rise above the waves. "Clever," V.V. said, "You want them to notice you."

"They knew a long time ago most likely," Lelouch replied, "Luckily it appears they have assumed I would be attacking Britannia directly. Waldstein is probably waiting for me there. Which means this is the perfect chance for us to crush a large portion of Schneizel's and the Directorate's forces."

"Shall we take control of the Northern and Southern fronts?" C.C. asked.

"Yes, do so," Lelouch said with a small smile, marching off the bridge, fastening a headset to himself, "Anya, wait for me, we'll be going out using Gilgamesh. All troops are to hold off until we launch, we'll lead the charge. Artillery rooms, prepare to lay down cover fire. I'll show Schneizel why he shouldn't underestimate the King."

Aboard the flying airship Avalon, Lloyd watched the battle, impressed with Lelouch's newest weapon "That's Lelouch for you, always one more card hidden up his sleeve."

"Don't sound so impressed, he is a traitor to the empire," Euphemia said dispassionately, now wearing an outfit similar to her sister, walking forward and then bringing up a communication channel on a touchpad control, "Suzaku, Lelouch has appeared. Join up with the Avalon and then we'll intercept him."

"Yes, your highness," Suzaku immediately replied.

In the Britannian mainland, Cornelia stormed into the Throne Room of the capitol, alongside a great many troops, "We must put a stop to this war, stop that woman Waldstein brought along with him, we must tell Schneizel the truth…"

"That I killed his Majesty, Charles Di Britannia?" Waldstein's deep voice asked, walked from behind the throne itself, the seal on his left eye removed, the deep lavender glow of Geass fully visible in it, "He knows."

"Waldstein, so you admit your treachery, was Schneizel part of this?" Cornelia demanded, the soldiers leveled their guns at Waldstein while she spoke.

"No, his Majesty was unaware of my plan at the time. But it appears I will once again have to commit the crime of killing an Imperial Family member," Waldstein said as he unsheathed a gigantic broadsword, "I will not allow that prophecy to come to pass. Britannia shall never fall."

"Prophecy, what are you prattling on…"

_With Geass, all things are possible, even the prediction of the future. Under Leloiuch's rule, Britannia shall crumble into a shadow of itself._

"…What was…"

"It is as it said," Waldstein said confidently, "Schneizel is needed or all is lost. Princess Cornelia, will you fight the one true path for Britannia, or will you let it crumble?"

"What was that, answer me Waldstein," Cornelia demanded, taking out an unusual combination of rifle and sword from a sheath at her hip.

"No one you should be concerned of, a caged bird who served your father and now serves his Majesty, Schneizel El Britannia," Waldstein answered with a wide grin, "All you need to know is that compared to us, she is omniscient."

"Then why haven't…Geass," Cornelia said narrowing her eyes, "She's a Geass user."

"As expected of you, that is correct," Waldstein admitted freely.

"….She's the source of it all then, the source of all the distortions. And the only reason she view Lelouch as a threat is because he is a source of a distortion in her own plans. His Disturber and Canceller, they make him and anybody within their effects immune to her powers don't they?" Cornelia asked, a small smile creeping along her face, "Which means…" Waldstein grimaced as he dodged to the left, several shots firing at where he was, "She can't be trusted." Cornelia retreated behind her soldiers who opened fire on Waldstein, and then ordered one hiding in the back, "Get in touch with Euphemia, play that recording to her. And then tell Darlton to execute plan nine."

"Yes your highness,"

Above the Pacific Ocean, behind the battle lines of the Britannia Imperial forces, Lelouch had taken to the air with his Apotheosis, followed by Anya and three score of Knightmares. And then the Apotheosis and Anya's Mordred docked with each other, the Apotheosis forming an extra layer of armor over the Mordred as it's flying units grabbed onto and removed Anya's Stark Hadron cannon, and then hovered next to the now fused Knightmare's right hand. "Perfect docking," Lelouch said as their cockpits merged into one, cover fire blowing past them and into the invading army's backside.

"Incoming unit, very fast, Lancelot," Anya reported directing the now flying cannon to face forward, "Firing, Marduk," Anya said as an absolutely massive Hadron Wave was fired from the cannon.

Only for it to be completely dodged, "Lelouch!" Suzaku's voice roared over an open channel, "You…"

The Avalon appeared from the battle lines quickly behind the Lancelot as did a great many other ships while the rest of the Britannian mainland fleet scurried to recover from the ambush, "Lelouch Vi Britannia, did you order his assassination, Charles Di Britannia's assassination?" Euphemia's voice asked over the open channel.

Lelouch smirked and answered without hesitation, "No, I didn't. I would never resort to that, you should know me better than that."

"Lelouch, why are you waging this war now?"

"Simple, father was going to chose me," Lelouch said with conviction, "He was going to choose me to be his successor, I will not let that lie sully his memory. I may have hated him, but I at the least respected him."

"Lelouch…" Euphemia said slowly, "…Suzaku,, everybody, we are joining Lelouch."

"Princess Euphemia, you can't be serious, Lelouch is capable of…" Suzaku protested until Euphemia said one thing.

"Marianne,"

"If you'll excuse me, I apparently have a challenger, Knight of Ten, Luciano Bradley," Lelouch said closing the open channel down and forwarding a couple of secure channels to Euphemia, "Well then, that shifts things into our favor."

"You knew that was coming," Anya commented, "That's why you made this plan."

"No, this was the best plan, it is just an expected bonus," Lelouch replied, "Shall we show the Vampire what the King can do?"

"Yes, I have always found him, unpleasant,"

Back in Britannia, "Impossible, how can he be so strong?" Cornelia exclaimed as her soldiers were cut down one by one, Waldstein cleverly breaking through, "What does his Geass do that allows him to avoid everything so easily?"

"Absolute Focus, the ability to interpret and predict all movement," a darker voice said from behind Cornelia, the cold feeling of metal touching the back of her head, "I wonder which would win, his Geass, or my Absolute Diversion?" And with that a single gunshot rang out over all others.

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter. Would have made it longer, but I need to ease myself back into things. Where have I been? Well simply put, new job, every game I've been wanting for several years coming out within a two month timespan, my PC dying on me (and my subsequent fixing of it), and quite frankly just not enough free time due to my schedule.

Oh and whoever put me as a recommended author on tvtropes, I give you two big thumbs up, and yeah, I'm totally weak in my first five or six chapters.

Now onto those fabulous questions of mine

1) Do you think that last paragraph is exactly as it seems or am I pulling something funny?

2) Well those of you who guessed there's someone behind the artificial Code Bearers, well you were right. Someone I'm actually keeping in the shadows. Do you think I'm going to ever reveal who it is? Or as a better question, what Geass would give one telepathy and the ability to predict things like that?

And that's all, now press that review button before a Geass user appears behind you.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	43. Surtr

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass; if I did I so would have done a holiday episode.

Stats: Nope, not revealing them now, I'll list the final stats of the fic (well more or less) at the final chapter.

* * *

Cornelia winced, only to find it wasn't herself that had been shot, but rather her attacker. A slight figure draped head to foot it long baggy clothing walked by her eyes and then seemed to vanish. "What was that?"

Within the Sword of Akasha, "So you have finally arrived, Prophet of Geass," G.G. said looking down at a newly opened entrance at the slight figure that had moments before been in front of Cornelia, "I wondered when you would arrive."

_Amazing that you decided to meet me here, where my power can touch you False Code Bearer._

"Not really, because you would have to concentrate on me, and then my subordinates would get you. Against me, you are nothing but an ineffectual little girl," G.G. laughed and then lurched forward, "Do you think a shot to the heart would effect me?"

"No, but it does get your attention," Schneizel's voice said, a slight rumble to his voice, his normal calm tone overshadowed by a powerful one. G.G. turned around to see Schneizel pointing a gun at her.

"What is the…I see," G.G. smiled staggering forward a bit, "Impressive, truly impressive. As expected, I can't believe I fell for it." Schneizel walked forward and then grabbed hold of G.G., "I was outmaneuvered magnificently."

With that Schneizel threw G.G. off the Sword of Akasha, turning to the figure he asked, "Did you bring it?" The figured walked up the steps towards Schneizel and then took out a small key from one of many folds in her clothing, and placed it into Schneizel's hands. Schneizel smiled wickedly, holding it aloft as two great spiraling columns that looked as if it was made of human bodies rose up before the Sword of Akasha and then stopped, a container now level with the platform. "I call you now, Surtr. Let Ragnarok begin."

"Heh, I see, we've been played for fools, all of us in his game," G.G. laughed as she began vanishing in a flurry of green light.

Above the Pacific outside of Japan, Lelouch and Anya in the Gilgamesh were fighting off the Knight of Ten Luciano Bradley in his Knightmare frame Percival. "Murderous bastard," Lelouch growled as he directed several of his shields to cut Luciano off from retreating, "He's a lot better than I was going to give him credit…" And then Luciano broke through the Gilgamesh's assault, and pinned them to one of the airships that had allied themselves with Lelouch.

"Question! What is most precious to you?" Luciano asked over an open channel as his drill shield span up, preparing to slice through their shields.

"Answer," Anya began, aiming the Gilgamesh's main cannon at itself and thus the Percival pinning them, and then forcefully ejecting the Apotheosis from the fusion returning it to just the Mordred. Leaving behind a partially deconstructed and very damaged Knightmare. Taking away her only protection from a Hadron Cannon, "My Emperor."

"Good answer!" Toudou's voice rang out as the Seiren blew the Percival off of what was left of the Mordred, several Knightmares appearing right behind him, "One worthy of a Knight."

"Get Anya back to the Corbenic, the Mordred can't take another Gattai," Lelouch ordered the soldiers as he hovered behind Toudou.

"So it's time to show them Susano'o?" Toudou said a small grin drawing up on his face.

Lelouch smirked and said his answer almost sinisterly, "Yes."

In the imperial palace in Britannia, Waldstein and Cornelia's troops stood in awe looking at the portal into the Sword of Akasha. "Waldstein, so you're still alive?" Schneizel said disdainfully, "I was hoping Cornelia would have killed you by now." The lithe figure that G.G. had called the Prophet of Geass stood beside him, "It looks like you read things incorrectly."

"Those with Geass can be hard to predict because their Geass can alter the predictions," the figure replied with audible smugness, "I told you that nine years ago."

"…impossible, that's…you're dead…Connectivity," Waldstein growled, "So that was your plan all along, Charles Di Britannia."

Schneizel laughed heartily at Waldstein's words, and then with a wicked smile answered, "Yes it was. Can't say I'm surprised you recognized me by only how I speak."

Cornelia narrowed her eyes as she prepared for a fight, "I see, so you're entrenched in Geass as well…no everything has been all part of your plan. Your goal was to fracture the empire in two, and then the world would split into two soon afterwards. Those who would stand with Lelouch, and then those who would stand with Schneizel, with you."

Waldstein aimed his gun at the Charles Di Britannia who now controlled Schneizel's body, "Absolute brilliance. You've gathered both true Code-Bearers in the same place, all you have to do is claim them."

Charles smirked as his eye lit up in the purple light of Geass, "While imperfect, allow me to show you my new power." To those looking at Charles the entire room seemed to vanish, as did all the people in it.

Above the Pacific Ocean Luciano was now facing the fused form of the Seiren and the Apotheosis. A tall Knightmare with a robe-like armor made out of the shields of the Apotheosis and an enhanced sword with an edge made from the point of meeting of two of the shields. "Not doing too well is he?" Lelouch laughed with an arrogant glare, taking command of his army again.

"The Susano'o was designed to have an overwhelmingly powerful melee attack power. Something he specializes in as well," Toudou stated, "He's vastly inferior to us in that regard."

"Yes, but this is too easy, we're already cleaning up the remaining enemies. It's like…" Lelouch paused for a moment before continuing, "This isn't right. Something is about to happen."

Toudou suddenly pulled the Susano'o back as two flashes careened by, "Looks like reinforcements have come."

Luciano's voice sounded on an open channel, garbled and weak, "Who told you two to come?"

"Knight of Twelve and Knight of Four," Lelouch said, two knightmares with great glowing wings appearing. One a green frame with a double-headed axe clenched tightly in one hand, and the other a blue frame with five heavy spears clenched in its hands. "Well this should be interesting,"

"I Monica Kruszewski challenge you traitor!" the green frame's pilot declared, leveling the axe at the Susano'o.

"As do I, Dorothea Ernst ready to battle," the blue frame's pilot roared as the spears began to float and spin about the frame.

"Lelouch, those are ninth generation frames, the energy wings grant those frames great speed," Euphemia broadcasted, "But they're highly experimental right now."

"Then I guess it's a good thing," C.C. said as a large beam of golden light rocketed up forcing the green frame to move out of the way.

"That we have some ninth generation frames ourselves," Chiba finished, water exploding along the surface of the ocean.

"Deification and the Konjiku, Tsukuyomi," Lelouch gloated as Toudou prepared to fight the blue frame, a golden frame appearing from the water with a long barreled rifle and a large circular light shield floating behind it.

"We'll take care of this one," V.V. said over another channel as two Hadron blasts came down on the blue frame, "The combination of Junpaku and Divination is more than enough against this brute…. I think I'll follow the theme and call it Inari." A White frame appeared from above the cloud with two floating Hadron blasters and an unusually lithe structure compared to the Junpaku, like most of its armor had been removed. Then the reason appeared from below the clouds, a giant hammer, "The real fight is only just beginning,"

Lelouch began laughing as the mass produced Apotheosis started flying from the Corbenic and lining up with his more skilled soldier's knightmares. "Yes it is, now to drive them out of our territory."

"Lelouch, something's coming out of the Ruins," Karen reported, "They're different…these Knightmare."

Lelouch removed something from his left eye, a contact lens to reveal his Geass he had kept sealed, bringing down a helmet in the cockpit placing it on so that his left eye was now covered. "Releasing seals, Toudou we'll have five minutes, defeat them."

"Yes, your majesty," Toudou responded, launching off towards the south at incredible speeds, and within half a minute they had crossed half the battlefield, "Targets sighted. Black Frames, odd, they look like…Siegfried…"

"So this is the little snag?" a voice boomed out from one of the black frames, one with red highlights, on a loudspeaker.

"Hee hee hee, it is, it is, Hetsu, lets destroy them, destroy them all," another voice came screeching out from a black frame with green highlights, "Zeitsu, burn them all."

"Quiet Keitsu, this is not an opponent we can take lightly, he defeated Gitsu easily," the last of the black frames said, one with blue highlight.

Lelouch swallowed, "The other three fake Code-Bearers."

"We have four minutes, we can take them," Toudou declared, aiming for the green highlighted one.

The green one began spinning rapidly as Toudou brought the Susano'o sword against it, the spin and the sword clashing against each other. "Sans, sans, sans! You're without power!" Keitsu yelled and increased the speed of his spin sending the Susano'o flying off to the side, "That can't be all!"

"Surely it can't be all the Dragon is capable of," Hetsu laughed as he launched several giant spears out from his red highlighted frame, tearing the limbs off the Susano'o and sending it falling down towards the water.

"Impossible, he was worried about you?" Zeitsu said lightly as he soared overhead in his blue highlighted black frame, a giant cannon lowering itself from the main body, "Fine, I'll end your threat once and for…"

A pair of Hadron blasts cut Zeitsu off, both aimed right into the opening between the cannon and the rest of the frame. "Never imagined I'd save you of all people," Ogi's voice chuckled over the open channel, a repaired Gawain flying over the ocean and catching the Susano'o, "I don't get all the particulars, but I do know that these guys are Japan's enemies."

Lelouch let out a sigh and then ordered, "Get Toudou out of here," removing the Apotheosis from the Seiren Lelouch launched back into the air, and then added almost as an afterthought, "Thanks."

The Apotheosis' parts gathered back up from the limbs of the Seiren and reconnected themselves to the Apotheosis, "So the prince has decided to fight us three on one, a foolish maneuver," Hetsu growled as if insulted, "This won't last five seconds. Zeitsu you still there?"

"Yes, but damaged, I can barely keep this thing in the air now. That attack hit me pretty…" Zeitsu began to respond and another blast hit him, completely destroying his frame.

"What? What? What? Who dares attack the great Templar?" Keitsu yelled wildly as a red frame appeared in front of the Apotheosis, "Oh the girl."

"First Knight of Lelouch Vi Britannia, Karen Kouzuki, reporting for her primary duty," Karen said with a small smile on her face.

In Britannia Charles Di Britannia now stood in a throne room with all those who were standing against him dead or captured by members of the Geass Directorate, his Geass eye shining brightly, "Your Majesty, is it wise to keep her alive?" the Geass Prophet asked, gesturing towards Cornelia, "She knows your secret."

"Who would believe her?" Charles asked in Schneizel's tone, "That Schneizel El Britannia is truly the dead Charles Di Britannia, that the Knight Templar still exist, that he has a super power, and that he orchestrated this entire war just so he can execute Ragnarok? No one would believe her; the only ones who would will be dead by morning. Even my lying brother, I will take both codes and execute Ragnarok."

A giant screen turned on showing the battlefield, and the now fusing Guren and Apotheosis, "Even with that power?" the Geass prophet asked.

"Even with that power they will stand no chance, because they will never see it coming," Charles answered, "Nothing can stop me."

* * *

And that's where I'll end this chapter, lots of plot twists as usual, quite a few reveals, and quite obvious this fic is wrapping up. Now I won't keep you waiting too long now so here's this chapter's questions:

1) Charles is back and has been confirmed as the big bad of the fic. How many of you thought he was really going to stay down?

2) The name of the fusion between Guren and Apotheosis is going to be obvious for those of you paying attention, but here's the real question, what is its main weapon going to be?

3) Well I sort of revealed the mysterious voice, you know gender and Geass, but not identity. Do you think by the end of the fix that she will be revealed? More importantly, do you think she's actually working for Charles?

4) How do you think this fic will end?

And that's all, now press that reveal button before random little seen Knights of Rounds come interrupting your victory. And for those of you reading this on the release date, happy holidays. Ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


	44. Freyr

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass

Stats: 1197 reviews, 172,305 hits, 28 c2s, 353 favs, 335 alerts

* * *

"What….what in the world?" Hetsu asked looking at the now fused frame floating in front of himself and his remaining partner Keitsu.

"No matter how many enemies are before us," Karen said in the frame as she pressed a trigger.

"We will not be stopped," Lelouch finished typing away at a pair of keyboards.

Outside the now glowing Knightmare Frame raised its right arm, which now had a strange orb like structure at the end of it instead of the normal clawed hand. The orb glowed brightly with the characteristic glow of the Radiation Surge, "Sessho-Seki!" Karen yelled as a pair of intense beams shot out from the orb, lancing the frames of the false code-bearers.

"Looks like my calculation were a bit off," Lelouch commented as the two of them sped through the sky to close the distance between them and Hetsu's machine.

"That only means we have to hit this time," Karen responded to Lelouch latching onto Hetsu's machine and then thrusting the orb into the cut in its hull caused by the previous attack, and then fired again.

"Well crap," Hetsu commented while his frame was ripped apart from the inside out, "Guess that's it for…"

In the Britannian Capitol, Charles Di Britannia sat on his throne with a smirk on his face; the throne room now empty save for his compatriot. Watching the battle he couldn't help but laugh, at least until he started coughing, Schneizel's body not used to producing a laugh in the pitch Charles was used to, "This is going to take getting used to," Charles sighed, "How long?"

"It should be appearing any minute now. It won't be in time to save the Templar however," the Geass Prophet answered.

"Good, the Templar were a necessary annoyance that I no longer have any use for," Charles said, "As for the rest of the troops there, not many are left of my own loyal soldiers are there?"

"No my lord, there aren't many left,"

"Then we'll have it fire the moment it appears," Charles laughed as a huge shape moved behind him, within the Sword of Akasha, Charles himself standing up and walking into the sword in preparation.

Keitsu had been sent down to the ocean with a concentrated blast of power from the fused Knightmare frame Lelouch and Karen were using. "This Amaterasu, the attack power is insane," Lelouch said, "I wonder why this is the strongest of the fusions."

"Isn't it obvious?" Karen asked, almost like she was enjoying herself, "It's because its with my Guren."

The island that had been the source of the Imperial reinforcements began to shake and shatter, "What is that?" Lelouch wondered, just as a small purple light flashed off near the flanks of his troops finishing the battle. And then a great sphere of purple light ballooned from that small light, engulfing everything it touched, "What was…that' can't be…"

A loud, booming laugh filled the open channels as the island exploded, a flying fortress slowly rising from it. On the top of it stood a single frame, a giant of a frame with what appeared to be pits built into its shoulders and a great sword handle grasped in hand. "Well done, well done, Lelouch!" the voice congratulated as the sky seemed to groan, a red light erupting from the ground below, "But you have lost." Twin columns rose from the light, twisting about each other and seemed to be made of the bodies of tortured humans, wrapping themselves around the fortress, "Ragnarok has begun."

Lelouch gritted his teeth, and glared at the sight before them, "That voice, is Schneizel's, but that tone, those words, are my father's."

"But…he was…the Geass again," Karen realized, "He survived, and…you don't think all of this has been…"

"Yes, I do, a brilliant plan, but he failed to take one thing into account," Lelouch said with a smile, "The fact that he thinks I'm just going to accept losing."

"Lelouch," C.C. broadcasted, "We'll need Akasha."

"Yes we will, whatever Charles has planned is not what we had planned. I won't accept this plan of his, something he had to keep hidden from me," V.V. added, "It is not the original Ragnarok but something else now."

Lelouch sighed, "I was hoping I could avoid using it, Karen are you ready to disengage?"

"Yes, you better win though," Karen, said, the Apotheosis shooting off of the Guren, which flew off sans one arm.

The Apotheosis, Deification, and the Divination met up as they shot towards the fortress, and then combined. C.C. in the Divination formed the upper body and arms, V.V. formed the lower body and legs, and Lelouch formed the head and a pair of glowing energy wings. "Akasha," Lelouch said as the multi cockpit opened up between the three pilots and moved them closer to one another, the Knightmare Frame atop the fortress lit up it's sword, a blade seemingly made of fire and light appearing from the hilt, Lelouch smiled, "Surtr…"

"At last you come, we can finally finish this battle with my victory!" Charles laughed out, descending from the fortress in the frame, "And Surtr shall claim victory as has been predicted!"

Lelouch laughed out and then replied back, "It was said Surtr successfully slew those who came before him and set the world to fire only because Freyr gave up his sword."

"What is your point?" Charles asked as he swung his weapon down against the Akasha, only to meet unexpected resistance, something unseen was blocking it.

"Then the Akasha shall be Freyr," Lelouch replied, having pulled down the eye device for his Geass, a great glowing red sword appearing in the Akasha's hands, "And will defeat Surtr before he can set the world aflame."

"Clever word play," Charles said, "A bit off though, Aether doesn't have quite the same pronunciation as Aesir."

"Of all the things you're concerned about, it's my choice of transliteration?" Lelouch asked as the two machines crossed swords, "Really?"

"Naturally, it did put you off guard after all?" Charles replied, slashing a rather large chunk of the Akasha's left arm off.

"True, but he wasn't the one controlling the sword," V.V. replied, the lower part of the Surtr's left leg missing, "Little brother, you're far too naïve."

"That's right, there are three of you in there," Charles replied as several purple light appeared across the battlefield, which then exploded into purple spheres that engulfed everything they touched, "But what can you do when Yggdrasil has rejected you?"

Lelouch's eyes went wide, "…He can do that many of those?"

"And many more, come Lelouch, can you defeat me before I kill everybody?" Charles asked with a diabolic smile, something infinitely scarier upon Schneizel's face, "Can your Freyr kill Surtr before his flames engulf the world?"

"He won't have to!" Ogi yelled, a bulging missile in the Gawain's hand prepared to be rammed into Charles' Knightmare whole the Gawain grabbed hold of it with its free hand.

Charles said nothing for a moment as the missile failed to go off, "I think not, Eleven," Charles hissed out and sliced the Gawain in half, "I've set them so they cannot detonate when they are too close to myself." The Gawain exploded brilliantly, no final message, nothing came on any channel, only dead silence, "But what can you expect from tra…" Charles was cut short, the Surtr suddenly had the red energy sword piercing its chest, barely missing Charles, "Not bad, but you…that light."

"You noticed," Lelouch growled, the red light flooding Charles' cockpit, coming from a simple looking crystalline rod, "Lelouch Vi Britannia orders that only you die Charles Di Britannia."

A moment passed, and then laughter, "Yes, by your command…my Fenr…no my Freyr." The two frames separated and was quickly followed by the Surtr self-destructing.

"Is it over?" Lelouch asked, slouching back in his seat.

_It is, but you have one final test, come aboard this fortress, the Damocles, Lelouch Vi Britannia, if you dare to take it._

Lelouch was visibly started, and then sighed, "Not quite I guess, I'll go this one alone," Lelouch said, the three frames separating back into their separate parts, "This one feels like I have to accomplish it on my own."

V.V. laughed at Lelouch's words and then said, "Yes, I suppose this one you do. I never would have guessed this would be the result. Ten years of planning I would say."

"What are you talking about?" C.C. asked the immortal boy, "Your plan was around long before that."

"Yes, but the plan that just beat it couldn't have been around longer than ten years. I can't believe it, no I can, but to think she has had this planned. To beat us all." Within the hour, the Damocles was lowering back into the red light it had sprouted from along with the columns, the light subsiding slowly. The Apotheosis flying out of it while it happened. A similar scene all around the world as the individual Geass Ruins and gates closed themselves, and at the last second as the gates finished closed, a purple flash erupted and was quickly snuffed out.

And then, on that same day, three years later, "The free trade talks with the European Union are going well. About as well as can be expected with that bunch. Too much history between them and Britannia, not to mention there is always someone who disagrees which sets off ten others," V.V. said while sitting down in a chair to a much older Lelouch, who was now wearing white robes with gold highlights, the two of them looking out over a vast garden in the middle of the Britannian Capitol of Pendragon.

"That's to be expected, they did kick our ancestors out of Britain after all, they're apprehensive about our intentions, especially with my rise to the throne and exactly how much I'm like my father," Lelouch replied with a small smile, "Looking back, I can't blame them."

V.V. chuckled, hopping up from his seat, "Nephew, you are not Charles, or myself. Deep down, you are now a happy person, you have what you want and everything you could ever have asked for. Charles had it all and was unhappy. I'm still apprehensive about it, I still don't think your idea will work, that your idea to bring peace to humanity. But, I'm willing to give it a shot."

"Even after she said it would work?" Lelouch asked.

"That girl's ability can only simulate people's reactions ten years into the future, she is unable to read past that. Ten years is not a lot of time, not to an immortal," V.V. stated bluntly, "And there are still unknowns thanks to you placing me as a key piece in your plans. Her ability can't predict me."

"No, but it's better to keep an eye on you rather than not have you pose problems to her ability to read the future," Lelouch countered, "Secretary of Foreign Relations."

"Speaking of which, what about that situation with the Chinese Federation, you need to develop a plan soon," V.V. began to speak, at which Lelouch promptly left the room, "Still so naive, and so easy to tease."

Lelouch walked the hallways of the palace, making his way towards his throne room, "Your majesty, good to see you doing as well as always," an ever young Jeremiah said walked towards Lelouch, "The new recruits are doing well, and the plans for the colony are doing exceptionally well, it'll be another year before we can make many serious attempts at constructing it but everything is going splendidly."

"Excellent," Lelouch said, eyeing a graying Toudou Lelouch asked, "How comes the Templar Hunt?"

"Slow but steady, many of them are hiding in the European Union, which makes for a very difficult time getting clearance," Toudou responded, "And the Chinese are concerned about future relations with the Empire. You are the Emperor now, but your hold on the Empire is still shaky, many of the new members of their parliament are pushing for that matter to be resolved, one way or another."

Lelouch looked highly displeased by the thinly veiled meaning behind that statement, "You should have known better than to just leave the matter hanging," C.C. said with a mocking smirk, leaning up against the doors to the Throne Room, "One big mistake of many you made during that war."

"The first of which was taking that collar off you," Lelouch sighed, "You've never stopped talking since."

"Only because you keep making mistakes," C.C. replied immediately, "Stop making mistakes and I'll start praising you instead."

"But you'll still be talking," Lelouch pointed out the obvious.

"Good luck making me be quiet then, a couple men tried a hundred years ago, they weren't too successful," C.C. said, opening the doors to the throne room, only for a scene that would make anybody to look again, if only for where it was happening.

"How dare you question my resolve, I joined with Lelouch long before you did!" Karen yelled at a now more mature Anya.

"When you joined with him makes no difference, only how strongly you have become one with his ideas," Anya replied; the same characteristic lack of emotion in here voice, however it was also a little bit different.

"Amusing aren't they?" the airy voice of the Geass prophet asked as she appeared out of nowhere next to Lelouch, "You certainly picked quite the pair of Knights."

"One of these days I may end up regretting my choice of companions," Lelouch sighed and then marched into the throne room, "Okay that's enough, I don't need you two tearing up the throne room again."

Jeremiah looked down at the Geass Prophet and then asked, "Exactly how much of this was planned?"

"Would it matter? They made their choices of their own free will, even if I knew what choices they'd make it wouldn't change that," the Geass Prophet explained, walking away from the Throne Room.

"Ow! That was me you were biting Karen! Break it up already!" Lelouch yelled trying to get between the fight between his knights.

* * *

And that's where I'll end this fic. Have to say, didn't end quite how I originally planned it all. The final showdown was always going to be Lelouch and Charles, however it was originally going to be Toudou dying while failing to kill Charles. The original plan was also for the Euphemia massacre to still occur and for the Black Knight Remnants to all die during the following Black Rebellion. Oh and the ending was not going to be this happy, that surprised me a bit. Quite a few other things changed as well, Schneizel was originally going to be a serious threat being one of them, and the whole fake Code thing only formed about, three chapter after I introduced G.G.

As for the other characters in the fic and what they are doing now, well I'll leave that up to you to imagine…and I don't want to say for a reason dealing with the next fic.

Well now, time for the last chapter's questions.

1) What did you think of the fic as a whole?

2) How do you like how it ended?

3) What else do you think changed from the original plan?

And that's it, now press that review button and I'll see you next time.

Ciao for now

Tis has been a fic from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos


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